Ryan Atwood

Ryan Atwood
The O.C. character
Benjamin McKenzie as Ryan Atwood
First appearance	"Premiere" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"The End's Not Near, It's Here" (episode 4.16)
Created by	Josh Schwartz
Portrayed by	Benjamin McKenzie
Information
Full name	Ryan Francis Atwood
Nickname(s)	Chino (by Luke) Atwood (by Summer) Kid (by Sandy) Ry (by Trey)
Gender	Male
Occupation	Architect High school student (at the Harbor School; graduated) College student (at UC Berkeley; graduated)
Family	Francis "Frank" Atwood (biological father) Dawn Atwood (biological mother) Sanford "Sandy" Cohen (adoptive father) Kirsten Cohen (adoptive mother) Trey Atwood (biological older brother) Cooper Atwood (paternal half-brother) Seth Cohen (adoptive brother) Sophie Rose Cohen (adoptive sister) Sophie Cohen (adoptive paternal grandmother) Caleb and Rose Nichol (adoptive grandparents; deceased) Hailey Nichol (adoptive maternal aunt) Lindsay Gardner (adoptive maternal half-aunt)
Significant other(s)	Theresa Diaz (ex-girlfriend) Marissa Cooper (ex-girlfriend, first love, deceased) Gabrielle (fling) Lindsay Gardner (ex-girlfriend) Sadie Campbell (ex-girlfriend) Chloe (one-night stand) Taylor Townsend (ex-girlfriend, undefined)
Relatives	Summer Roberts (sister-in-law, via Seth)
Residence	Newport Beach, California Formerly: Chino, California

Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is the main protagonist of the show, an outcast who is given a second chance when the wealthy Cohen family takes him in.

Casting director Patrick Rush found the role of Ryan Atwood particularly hard to cast for The O.C..Chad Michael Murray turned the role down to play Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill. Rush invited Benjamin McKenzie to audition after Warner Bros. made him aware of the young actor after an unsuccessful audition for a UPN sitcom. McKenzie, who had spent two years in New York and Los Angeles seeking acting work, lacked experience and later described his selection as "a tremendous leap of faith" on the producers' part. Show creator Josh Schwartz said in 2014, "[McKenzie] took it really seriously, and brought just a lot of integrity, and integrity is not always required in a Fox teen drama."

Ryan was physically abused by his biological father Frank and some of his mother Dawn's boyfriends. He has a complicated, love-hate relationship with his older brother Trey. Both parents struggled with alcohol – Frank became physically abusive while Dawn neglected and verbally abused him – and it left a deep impression on him, as shown by his aversion to strong alcoholic drinks. By his own statements, Ryan never had a father figure for much of his life, due to Frank being in prison and his mother's revolving door of boyfriends, prior to being adopted by the Cohens. The Atwoods used to live in Fresno but moved to Chino after Frank was imprisoned. In season 4, it is stated that Ryan had not seen Frank in eight years. In regards to his biological family, a major recurring theme was Ryan being abandoned – Dawn abandoned him twice, Trey left for Las Vegas without telling him and their dad left them and their mom "with nothing" after being imprisoned – which contrasts his adopted family, the Cohens, who have stood by him despite his juvenile record, vocal criticisms and disdain from the other "Newpsies" about his adoption and his multiple attempts to run away from them. Although he does not address Sandy and Kirsten as Dad or Mom, he has made it clear that he considers them to be his parents, rather than Frank and Dawn.