Ryan Merriman Kept Acting After His DCOM Days

In the days before DVR, my family and I used to gather around the TV to watch the latest Disney Channel Original Movie (acronym DCOM for those of us in the know), and though most flicks were stand-alone made-for-TV movies, you knew many members of the cast by name. You can chock it up to consistently on-par Disney Channel marketing, but I knew my DCOM guys well. One of my favorite guys was Ryan Merriman, the star of Smart House, a film about what would happen if an advanced Siri wanted to be your mom, and Luck of the Irish , a movie about a high school kid who really wants to play basketball despite the fact that he's a Leprechaun. (Yes, this is the real plot of a real movie, and it's really great.)

Like many former Disney Channel actors, Merriman has stuck with acting, which means you don't have to wait for Smart House to come on TV to see his face. So what has Merriman been up to since his time as a Disney Channel star? He's certainly been busy, and you may recognize him from a bunch of projects not at all related to Leprechauns. Here's just some of what Merriman has been up to since his Disney days.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Merriman joined Tyra Banks in this horror sequel about a group of friends who spend the night in Michael Myers' old house as part of a reality show competition. The trailer is an epic time capsule of the early days of reality television, complete with phrases like, "Someone's about to be voted off the island!"

The Ring 2 (2005)

Think your last Tinder date was bad? It probably wasn't as horrible as the one Merriman's character takes his girl on. After watching the cursed tape from the first film, Merriman passes it on to an unsuspecting date, so that his "seven days until death" curse will be lifted. Too bad it doesn't quite work out that way...

Final Destination 3 (2006)

In keeping with his theme of horror sequels, Merriman scored top billing in what I still proclaim to be my absolute favorite Final Destination flick. In case you forgot which one is which, number three includes the murderous roller coaster and tanning bed.

Home Of The Giants (2007)

This high school basketball drama also stars The Sixth Sense star Haley Joel Osment and fellow former Disney kid Danielle Panabaker.

My Hometown (2011)

Anyone who has ever wanted to get out of their hometown can relate to this indie feature, about a student assigned to showcase why his town is so special — when to him, it's the worst place ever.

Pretty Little Liars (2010-2014)

Merriman played Melissa Hastings' shady ex (does she have any other kind?) Ian Thomas on the hit ABC Family series. Ian met his demise relatively early on in the series, but the actor has shown up in flashbacks, proving that Pretty Little Liars can't get enough Merriman.

42 (2013)

In this Jackie Robinson biopic, Merriman played Dixie Walker, an MLB right fielder who is best known for his reluctance to play with Robinson in 1947 when he became the first black player in Major League Baseball.

These are only a few of the projects that Merriman has worked on since his days as a tween star, and with five new films currently in the works, it doesn't seem like he's slowing down. So what does Merriman look like today? He's no kid anymore, and here are the pics to prove it.

Images: Disney Channel; Getty Images (4)