Ryan Sheckler is a professional skateboarder and teen television personality. Currently he stars in his own reality show, Life of Ryan, on cable television station MTV.

Sheckler was born Dec. 30, 1989 in San Clemente, CA. One of three male children (including brothers Shane and Kane), Sheckler is said to have taught himself to use a skateboard with no outside help. He began practicing alone in his back yard and by the age of six was performing mini-stunts based on the performances of his idol, professional skater Tony Hawk. Seeing this early talent, Sheckler's father built a quarter pipe in the the family's yard so that Sheckler and his friends could practice. Before long Sheckler was skating on the quarter pipe, a half pipe and several grinding rails; eventually he even created his own trick, the Sheck-lair.

Sheckler quickly became a known name in the skateboarding community by joining the California Amateur Skating League (CASL) and winning one of the organization's contests. Sheckler then participated in and won four major competitions: the X Games, Gravity Games, the Vans Triple Crown and the Slam City Jam.

Following these successes, Sheckler turned professional in 2003, at the age of 14. During this time period, he received his first sponsor, eye wear company Arnette. He continued to participate and win skateboarding competitions, and today has more than 25 U.S., Canadian and Australian awards to his name.

Sheckler made his first ventures into the cinematic world with the part of Neil Nellis in 2002's MVP 2: Most Vertical Primate, a comedic Cinderella story about an ex-hockey playing chimp ("Jack") who meets a skateboarding pro. A year later, Sheckler's abilities were again showcased on the big screen, with Grind, another skateboarding fan film. He also appeared in the movie Dishdawgs in 2005, another boarding fan production.

In 2007, the teen took to the small screen with the reality show Life of Ryan. Sheckler has been criticized among the skateboarding community for "selling out" by airing his laundry in a reality series. Nonetheless, the show's first season finale ranked #1 in its time slot and age demographic and was seen by more than two million viewers. The show follows the star and his family through a series of events, both mundane and professional-world, and attempts to show that "having it all" can be illusory, according to show descriptions and critiques. The first season of Life of Ryan portrayed the divorce of Sheckler's parents, the young star's search for a girlfriend and his perfectionist attempts to win skateboarding competitions. The show was renewed and is now in its second season.

In response to criticism from the skateboarding community for Life of Ryan, Sheckler is quoted as saying, "Haters come out of the woodwork...I just can't hate on people they don't know."

In addition to skateboarding, Sheckler enjoys a variety of sports including surfing, swimming and snowboarding, as well as motorcross.