Alan Ritchson's Real Name: Alan Michael Ritchson

Quick answer: Alan Ritchson's full name is Alan Michael Ritchson. He was born on November 28, 1982, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and works under Alan Ritchson—the civil form of his birth name.

Real name and early life

Library of Congress name authority and contemporary profiles identify Alan Michael Ritchson (LOC; TV Guide). Ritchson is the family surname; Michael is the middle name. He is the son of teacher Vickie Ritchson and retired U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant David Ritchson. A military childhood took the family through Guam and Illinois before they settled near Eglin Air Force Base in Niceville, Florida. He performed in school musicals, took college-level music-theater classes while still in high school, and later modeled (including Abercrombie & Fitch) and auditioned for American Idol before committing to acting.

Career highlights

He debuted on screen as Arthur Curry / Aquaman on Smallville (2005–2010), starred as Thad Castle on Blue Mountain State, played Gloss in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), and portrayed Raphael in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot and its sequel. He returned to DC television as Hank Hall / Hawk on Titans (2018–2021) and gained wider fame as Jack Reacher in Amazon’s Reacher (from 2022). Film credits also include Fast X (2023) and the Syfy series Blood Drive (2017). He has released music (including the album This Is Next Time), married Catherine Ritchson in 2006, and made a directorial debut with Dark Web: Cicada 3301 (2021). Across modeling, TV, and film, billing stayed Alan Ritchson; the documented full name is Alan Michael Ritchson.

Name notes for searchers

Some databases (including an older LOC heading) list birth year 1984, reflecting early American Idol-era publicity ages; graduation year and later interviews support 1982. Prefer consistent major-press bios over conflicting stubs. Wikipedia is useful only as a pointer after primary citations.