Ryan Stiles' ascent as a comic began early, doing stand-up routines at small comedy clubs near his home in Vancouver. At age 17, he dropped out of high school to pursue comedy full time.

He began honing his celebrated improvisational skills in 1986 when he became a member of Canada's highly acclaimed Second City comedy ensemble. In 1990, he began a successful four year run with the Los Angeles Second City troupe, performing at their clubs in Los Angeles and Toronto. From 1989 to 1998, Stiles was a regular performer on the original British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? His work on the program earned him both critical praise and a devoted fan following in the U.K.

Work in the U.S. entertainment industry soon followed, including roles in the feature films Hot Shots! and Hot Shots!, Part Deux, and in the Academy Award-nominated short Rainbow War. Stiles also landed numerous guest spots on television comedies including a recurring role on Mad About You.
During the 1994-1995 major league baseball strike, he was featured in a memorable series of commercials for Nike including the popular "one-man wave" spot. Recently, Stiles directed his first episode of The Drew Carey Show -- "Kate vs. Speedy."

With his writing partner, Sean Masterson, Stiles has penned an original screenplay, Live Bait. The script, purchased by Imagine Entertainment/Universal, is currently in development. Stiles and his wife Pat were married in 1989 and have two children. They divide their time between Los Angeles and their home in Washington state.

According to Stiles, when he's not at work, he spends his time thinking about work.