What is Ryan Stiles?
[[File:RyanStilesNov08.jpg|thumb|200px|Ryan Stiles in November 2008]] '''Ryan Lee Stiles''' (born April 22, 1959) is an American [[actor]], [[comedian]], [[Television director|director]], and [[voice actor]] whose work is often paired with [[improvisational comedy]]. He is best known for his improv and co-production work on the American and British versions of ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'' and the role of [[Lewis Kiniski]] on ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]''. He played Herb Melnick on the [[CBS]] comedy ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' and was a performer on the show ''[[Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza]]''. == Early life and career == Stiles was born in [[Seattle, Washington]], the youngest of five children. His father, Sonny, was a fishing plant supervisor.<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/78/Ryan-Stiles.html Ryan Stiles Biography (1959–)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Stiles lived in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]] as a teenager.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ryan Stiles|url=http://www.tbs.com/stories/story/0,,321,00.html|publisher=TBS|accessdate=July 24, 2011|archive-date=March 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322145223/http://www.tbs.com/stories/story/0,,321,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the age of seventeen, he dropped out of his [[high school]], [[Richmond Secondary]], to have a career in [[comedy]]. He worked in his father's fish-processing plant to earn a living. He then began performing improv with Vancouver [[TheatreSports]] League. In 1986, Stiles successfully [[audition (performing arts)|auditioned]] for a berth at [[Toronto, Ontario|Toronto]]'s renowned [[The Second City|Second City]] comedy ensemble. == Television work == By 1989, the producers of the comedy show, ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'', noticed his work. Stiles was a regular guest on the show until 1998, and the show's short production season allowed him to make numerous [[television program|television]] and [[feature film|motion picture]] appearances in the United States. In 1995, Stiles was asked by American comi