Name: Ryan Thomas Gosling Date of Birth: 20 November 1980 Place of birth: London, Ontario, Canada Special moves: Acting, singing, JAW WORK Films include: The Notebook, Half Nelson, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive

What you probably already know:

Irrespective of all the other interesting things Ryan Gosling has been doing since he first joined the ranks of the Mouseketeers (oh yes, he’s another one), you know him from The Notebook. Guaranteed. You may not have seen it (if so, well done), but the extraordinary levels of devotion inspired by Gosling’s dementia-infused cavorting with Rachel McAdams are the stuff of Hollywood legend; the world wept so hard it got a bit of mucus on its shirt, wouldn’t shut up about the bloody thing ever again and created a star. Blimey.

Seemingly resigned to the fact that it might take another twenty years to obliterate that kiss in the rain from his CV, Ryan has simply spent most of his time since 2004 making a series of excellent films. Seriously, there’s nary a bum note – in just two years he was Oscar-nominated for his role as a drug-addicted history teacher in Half Nelson and everything-else-nominated for charging around with a sex doll in Lars and the Real Girl, plus he went toe-to-toe with Anthony Hopkins in courtroom drama Fracture. More recently he starred with Michelle Williams in last year’s largely-improvised Blue Valentine, and this year he’s racking up a series of massive roles in slick comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, tense thriller Drive and George Clooney’s passion project The Ides of March.

What you might not know:

Did you notice that I didn’t mention Ryan doing anything in 2008-9? Well, there’s a reason for that and it’s that HE’S A ROCKSTAR TOO MOTHERFUCKERS! Ryan took two years out from Hollywood to focus on his monsters and ghosts-themed band Dead Man’s Bones (which consists of him and Rachel McAdams’ sister’s ex Zach Shields), recording a debut album and touring North America. Ryan and Zach imposed many rules upon themselves whilst recording, playing every instrument themselves regardless of their experience and only allowing three takes of each song to allow any imperfections to add to the track. Oh, and just in case you’re thinking this is Ryan’s first foray into the music business? It ain’t. Way back when, his mate A. J. McLean (yes, that one) asked Ryan if he fancied joining a little group he was setting up called the Backstreet Boys. Ryan said no, because he’s not into that commercial jive. Lad.

We’ve got two more Gosling facts for you, and they may not be as unrelated as they first appear. First, did you know that Ryan used to date Sandra Bullock? The pair met on the set of the (largely shit) thriller Murder By Numbers and spent a year together, despite the fact that Sandra’s genuinely old enough to be Ryan’s great great grandmother. Fact #2: Ryan owns a Moroccan restaurant (called Tagine, natch) in Beverly Hills. That might seem like an odd thing for him to do, but don’t forget about the fact that SANDRA BULLOCK OWNS A BISTRO! She obviously had more of an impact on him than he’d like to admit…

Ryan Gosling quote:

“I just have my own taste, and I just try and stick with that. I’m just trying to play as many characters as I can for as long as I have an opportunity to.”

What to say at a dinner party:

“Gosling’s increasingly discerning eye for roles has so far steered him clear of explicitly commercial box-office fodder; he really is one of the most versatile young actors Hollywood has to offer.”

What not to say at a dinner party:

“Sorry I’m not eating much; I went to Tagine yesterday and practically haemorrhaged vomit all night.”

Final thought:

Please let The Ides of March be good. Please. If anyone can make it so, Ryan, you can…

Although we generally source the content for these blogs through a combination of prayer, intuition and pharmacology, our very favourite Ryan Gosling fact (clue) came courtesy of the marvellous Katie Khan. You can find her post ‘Would You Go Gay For Gosling?’ here; we didn’t need any persuading, but if you’re still unsure about diving into a warm sea of that slightly daft accent (or just, like, enjoy funny words) then get involved!

Anything else you think the world should know? Drop us a comment below!