Ryan Hadison Cooley (born May 18, 1988) is a Canadian consultant and former actor. He is best known for his role as James Tiberius "J.T." Yorke on Degrassi: The Next Generation which he starred in from 2001 until 2007. He also studied theatre at the University of Toronto. Career Prior to joining the Degrassi cast, he had a two-year run as Pleskit, the alien lead in the television series I Was a Sixth Grade Alien. Cooley's other television credits include the series, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Queer as Folk, Lexx: The Series and Life with Derek. He has also appeared in the features Sachsenhausen 1944, Toy Men, Disney Channel movie The Color of Friendship, the Animal Planet movie Cybermutt and CBC TV movie Happy Christmas Miss King alongside his Degrassi co-star Lauren Collins. In 2006, Cooley was nominated for a Young Artist Award (LA) the category of Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series. Cooley has also appeared in the 2007 film The Tracey Fragments with Elliot Page. In 2012, Cooley guest starred in a YouTube miniseries called Millie and Midge, in episodes 2 and 4 as Parker. Cooley appeared on Degrassi: The Next Generation as a regular character in the first season of the show and continued his role until his character's death in 2007, while the show was in its sixth season. Filmography Notes References External links Cooley talks to theTVaddict.com 1988 births Living people Canadian people of Irish descent 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male child actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Male actors from Ontario People from Orangeville, Ontario