Quick summary
- Ryan Gosling turned 46 on Thursday 12 November 2026, according to UPI and Young Hollywood.
- The Canadian actor was born in London, Ontario, in 1980 and is a Golden Globe winner with Oscar nominations for La La Land and Barbie.
- Daily Star reports that Barbie co-star Margot Robbie told People she was disappointed their characters never kissed on screen.
- His most recent credit listed by UPI is Project Hail Mary.
Ryan Gosling marked his 46th birthday on 12 November, and the anniversary has sent outlets back through a filmography that runs from teen television to a billion-dollar doll movie. The same week, an old interview resurfaced in which Margot Robbie admitted she was “gutted” that Barbie and Ken never shared a kiss.
A birthday shared with Neil Young
Gosling’s birthday landed on a busy day for famous names. The Monterey Herald’s daily birthday list put him alongside Anne Hathaway, who turned 44, Megan Mullally, 68, and Neil Young, 81. Gosling is the second youngest of that group, and the only one whose name led the paper’s horoscope headline.
UPI described him as a Golden Globe-winning actor and listed the titles he is best known for: The Mickey Mouse Club, The Notebook, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Crazy, Stupid Love, The Big Short, La La Land, Blade Runner 2049, The Gray Man and Project Hail Mary. It is a list that rarely repeats a genre.
The roles that built the career
According to Young Hollywood, Gosling reached wide international fame with the 2004 romance The Notebook, playing Noah Calhoun opposite Rachel McAdams. UPI notes the pair dated from 2005 to 2007.
More than a decade later came Damien Chazelle’s 2016 musical La La Land. Young Hollywood says Gosling learned complex piano pieces from scratch to play jazz pianist Sebastian Wilder, and the film collected 14 Academy Award nominations, including a Best Actor nod for him.
Between those two, he took a sharp turn. In 2011 he led the neo-noir thriller Drive for director Nicolas Winding Refn, playing an unnamed stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway wheelman. The film premiered at Cannes, where UPI’s photo archive shows Refn collecting the Best Director prize.
Barbie, Ken and the kiss that never was
In 2023 Gosling played Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Young Hollywood says the role earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination and a showstopping Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken”. Daily Star puts the film’s box office at $1.448 billion (about £1.08 billion), and it went head to head with Oppenheimer in the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon.
Daily Star reports that Robbie, who also produced the film, was asked by People whether she was glad the two leads never kissed. “Uh, no! That didn’t feel like a win for me,” she said. She added that her friends had questioned how she could make a whole film with him and not get a kiss. Gosling, by contrast, said it was “so funny trying to figure out” what the dolls’ idea of kissing might be, and that he was glad it was cut.
The same outlet says both stars were understood to receive a $12.5 million upfront fee, with Robbie’s total earnings reportedly reaching about $50 million after bonuses and producer profits. Those figures are unconfirmed estimates.
Stunts, sequels and what he has done since
After Barbie, Young Hollywood says Gosling made the 2024 action comedy The Fall Guy, directed by David Leitch, playing veteran stunt double Colt Seavers alongside Emily Blunt. The site describes it as a tribute to the stunt community built on practical effects.
Fans still wonder whether Ken will return. For the latest on that, see our report on Barbie 2 talks stalling over pay demands, and for catalogue viewing there is The Nice Guys topping the Apple TV chart. Everything else is gathered on our Ryan Gosling tag page.
What happens next
No new project was announced alongside the birthday coverage. UPI’s list ends with Project Hail Mary, which suggests it is the film most closely tied to Gosling right now. Readers who want more film coverage can browse our Movies section.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Ryan Gosling?
He turned 46 on 12 November 2026. He was born in London, Ontario, in 1980, according to Young Hollywood.
Did Ryan Gosling win an Oscar for Barbie?
No. Young Hollywood reports he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing Ken, and he performed “I’m Just Ken” at the ceremony.
Did Barbie and Ken kiss in the film?
No. Margot Robbie told People she was disappointed about it, while Gosling said he was glad the scenes were cut, as reported by Daily Star.
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