Biography

As a child growing up, Risley was involved in rec-league sports, which sparked his fiery competitive spirit. After his family relocated, Risley got involved in a youth theater program in the area. There he fell in love with the process of creating characters, memorizing dialogue, and rehearsing. Before the age of 14 he was cast in over 50 different theatrical productions. He attended Pella Christian High School where he came to realize that acting was what he had been called to do. After high school, he attended Northwestern College where he received a B.A. in Theatre, as well as multiple award nominations for his performances in several of the productions there. Risley also gained knowledge and experience in the touring group of Drama Ministries Ensemble as well as directing, play-writing, and sound and scenic design. After graduation, he not only married his college sweetheart but his passion and desire for acting only continued to increase. His first feature on an independent film was as the musician Cameron Ryder in the movie Hope's Song. Since, he has appeared in many more feature films, including The Text and Carver Cove, as well as being a part of a couple web series. Other credits include the Barbizon School of Acting and Modeling, the Meisner Technique, the Stanislavski Method and improvisation. In 2022, Risley was awarded with the Promising Young Actor award, from the MLC Awards. Risley was also voted Runner-Up in the Best Lead Actor Critics' Choice category, and won the award for Best Actor, Audience Choice, both from the Great Lakes Christian Film Festival in 2022. Risley has also been nominated for Best Actor at The Branson International Film Festival in 2023.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous