Debby Ryan: 20 facts about the actress you need to know

1. Get to know Debby Ryan

For many, Debby Ryan will forever be associated with their childhood thanks to her early roles in several huge Disney Channel shows. She has since gone on to star in more than 53 movies and TV shows, and also married rock star dummer Josh Dun. Here's everything you could possibly need to know about the actress.

2. How old is Debby Ryan?

Debby Ryan was born on May 13th in 1993. This makes her 30 years old. Her star sign is Taurus.

3. How tall is Debby Ryan?

Debby Ryan is five feet four inches tall. That's around 1.65 metres.

4. Where is Debby Ryan from?

Debby Ryan was born in Hunstville, Alabama. She lived in Germany until the aged of 10 though because her dad was in the military. Debby then moved back to the US in 2003 and spent the rest of her childhood in Texas. She was part of her school chess club and an avid skateboarder.

5. How was Debby Ryan discovered?

Debby Ryan may have achieved a fairytale career now but she had to work for it. As a young child she was always performing. She danced at Six Flags and at various malls. She also auditioned and starred in an array of commercials before landing work in TV and film.

6. Debby Ryan's movies and TV shows

Debby Ryan has over 53 credits (as of August 2023) as an actress on IMDb across her 25 year career. Her most notable TV show roles are The Suite Life on Deck, Jessie and Insatiable. She has also starred in films such as Radio Rebel, Fast X and Horse Girl. Read about all her notable roles in the following slides.

7. Was Debby Ryan on Barney and Friends?

One of Debby Ryan's first roles was starring alongside fellow Disney legend Madison Pettis as one of the children on the 10th season of Barney and Friends. She also appeared in the film Barney: Let’s Go to the Firehouse in 2007.

8. Who plays Bailey Pickett in The Suite Life on Deck?

Debby Ryan got her big break as part of the main cast of Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody spin-off The Suite Life on Deck. She plays one of the show’s most beloved characters, Bailey Pickett. Talented, brilliant, amazing, showstopping, spectacular.

Debby Ryan Hannah Montana Wizards of Waverly Place

9. Debby Ryan had cameos on Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place.

Debby Ryan was not part of the main casts of Hannah Montana or Wizards of Waverly Place. However, she did feature in an episode of both series as her The Suite Life on Deck character Bailey Pickett. Debby being on screen with Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus in their respective shows were two iconic Disney moments.

10. Who plays Abby Jensen in 16 Wishes?

Debby Ryan played the lead role in 16 Wishes in 2010. In the Disney feature film she stars as Abby Jensen, a 16 year old girl whose wishes miraculously come true on her 16th birthday. There's a catch though. Eight years on we can confirm that it's lowkey one of the greatest movies of all time.

11. Debby Ryan was in a band called The Never Ending.

Debby Ryan was the lead singer of indie-rock band The Never Ending alongside guitarist Kyle Moore and drummer Johnny Franco. Together they released an EP and multiple other songs. Debby also released her own solo single ‘We Ended Right’ in 2011.

12. Who plays Jessie Prescott in Jessie?

Debby Ryan landed the titular role in Jessie in 2011 shortly after The Suite Life on Deck ended. The beloved series lasted for four seasons and ended in 2015. Yes. Debby really starred as leads in two incredible Disney series.

13. Debby Ryan was close friends with Cameron Boyce

Debby Ryan worked with Cameron Boyce on Jessie and the two quickly became close. After he passed away in 2019, Debby said that Cameron was like a brother to her and was always there for her. [@debbyryan via Instagram]

14. Debby Ryan was arrested for drunk driving in 2016.

Debby Ryan was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after crashing her Audi in Los Angeles in April 2016. Shortly after news of her arrest broke, Debbie released a statement apologising for disappointing her fans. Debbie pled no contest to reckless driving in exchange for her two misdemeanor charges to be dismissed, according to TMZ, and served three years probation, finish three months of a DUI program and complete community service. [Getty]

15. Debby Ryan acted alongside Debra Messing in The Mysteries of Laura

Debby Ryan’s first major non-Disney role was as Lucy Diamond in NBC's The Mysteries of Laura. The series was an adaptation of the hit Spanish comedy drama Los misterios de Laura and it starred Debra Messing and Josh Lucas.

16. Who plays Jennifer in Life of the Party?

Debby Ryan starred alongside Melissa McCarthy and Maya Rudolph in Life of the Party in 2018. In it she steals the show as mean girl Jennifer.

17. Who plays Patty in Insatiable on Netflix?

Debby Ryan played the lead role in Netflix’s Insatiable. Patty is a bullied teenager who becomes a beauty pageant queen and then seeks vengeance on those who did her wrong. The series was cancelled after two seasons.

18. Who plays Nikki in Horse Girl on Netflix?

Debby Ryan plays Nikki in 'Horse Girl' on Netflix. Nikki is the lead character, Sarah's, roommate. She stars alongside Alison Brie and Molly Shannon. [Netflix]

19. Debby Ryan is married Twenty One Pilots' drummer Josh Dun

After dating for many years and getting engaged in 2018, Debby Ryan and Josh Dun married in a private ceremony on December 31 2019. Fans noticed that they were married after they saw that both Josh and Debby wore wedding rings in the Twenty One Pilots' 'Level of Concern' video. The couple later confirmed the news on social media and released their wedding photos to Vogue. [Fueled By Ramen]

20. Debby Ryan become a viral meme in 2020

In 2012, Debby played Tara Adams in Radio Rebel, a shy girl at school who was secretly a radio DJ. 8 years later, a clip from that film went viral across social media. In the clip, Debby nervously brushes hair out of her face while looking up bashfully. It’s unintentionally hilarious and has since been recreated thousands of times. Debby saw the funny side, writing on Twitter: “I was serious about my craft from a young age and studied technique alongside Roxanne from A Goofy Movie.”

21. Is Debby Ryan on TikTok?

Debby Ryan uses TikTok. You can follow her via @debbyryan to see all of her hilarious videos. She's also become part of a TikTok trend in which people act out her scenes from 'Jessie' alongside her. [@debbyryan via TikTok]