Ryan Hurst

Ryan Hurst plays Opie Winston in Sons of Anarchy. Opie has the build of someone who ought to find the club's world straightforward; Hurst makes it apparent that very little about his life is straightforward at all. He gives the quieter exchanges with Jax real weight, without needing to compete for the loudest voice in the room.

Hurst was already recognisable from films including Saving Private Ryan and Remember the Titans, in which he plays Gerry Bertier. Other film work includes We Were Soldiers and The Ladykillers. Those performances helped establish a screen presence that could be imposing without becoming impersonal.

His television roles include Chick Hogan in Bates Motel, Hector Bonner in Bosch and Beta in The Walking Dead. He also played Lil Foster in Outsiders and performed Thor in the game God of War Ragnarök. Opie is the essential starting point here: a character whose loyalty feels lived in, and whose silences are worth watching.