Jump to: Introduction   /    Early Life   /   Career   /   Personal Life   /   Other Ventures

INTRODUCTION

Ronen Rubinstein is an Israeli-born American actor, environmentalist activist and singer (with some directing and producing credits). He is most known for his role as Tyler “T.K.” Strand on 9-1-1: Lone Star. His other well known roles include, Matt Web in “American Horror Stories” and Nathan on “Orange is the New Black”. Since 2021/2022, Ronen has been the lead singer in the band, Nights in Stereo.

EARLY LIFE

Ronen was born in Rehovot, Israel (where is father was a dentist and served in the Israeli army) where he lived with his family until he was 5 years old. At that age, Ronen and his family immigrated to New York. They settled in Staten Island (borough of New York City), New York as Ronen’s father wanted the family to have a better life. There, Ronen learned English as a second language *(along with some Hebrew)*. In an interview, he stated that being an immigrant often made him feel like an outsider and found it hard to fit in.

During his sophomore year of high school, Ronen was introduced to the school’s theater department by the school counselor. He has mentioned many times that he never saw himself as an actor and that push had saved his life after starting to go down a bad path in life.

CAREER

Early Roles (2011 – 2014)

At the age of 16, Ronen wrote his first short film called Something In the Way. He later went on to direct, produce and star in the short film. The short film follows a young Vietnam war veteran who struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after returning to his civilian life.

Rubinstein made his on-screen debut at the age of 17 as a teenage rebel named Gansta in the 2011 film, Detachment.

In 2013, Ronen landed a leading Role in It Felt Like Love The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival. It did so well that, it was later given a limited theatrical release in early 2014.

In the following years, Ronen landed smaller roles in movies and some unreleased pilots.

Break-through / Current Years (2015 – Present)

In 2015, Ronen started landing bigger, lead roles. These include, Lincoln in Some Kind of Hate, a guest spot on Orange Is the New Black, and Dante in Condemned. His first role as a series regular was in Freeform’s Dead of Summer as Alex Powell.

Throughout 2017 – 2019, Ronen had some smaller roles in Smartass (2017), Dude (2018), Brooklyn Love Stories (aka Bushwick Beats – 2019) and Less Than Zero (2019).

In 2019, Ronen landed the role he is most known for, Tyler “T.K.” Strand in 9-1-1: Lone Star. As of 2024, 4 seasons of the show have aired with season 5 is in production and airing in the Fall. His character’s on-screen relationship (with Carlos Reyes), known as #Tarlos (TK and Carlos) became an instant hit and internet sensation with the viewers. 9-1-1: Lone Star is currently Fox’s #2 show, just behind it’s mother-ship show, 9-1-1.

Music (2021 – Present)

In 2021, Ronen joined his friends, John Shoer and Rodrigo R Rodarte to create rock band, Nights in Stereo. The band released their first single, “Open Door” in January 2022. Their second single. “Underwater” came out in June 2022. In late 2023, the band released a cover of Echo & The Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon”.

Nights in Stereo are currently working on their debut EP.

PERSONAL LIFE

Ronen moved to Los Angeles (from New York) in 2016, when he was 24. After moving to LA, Ronen adopted a bit pull named Fresh and later on adopted a second pit bull named Spot.

In 2017, Ronen started dating Canadian actress, Jessica Kennedy Parker. The couple later married during a private ceremony in 2022.

On April 7, 2021, Ronen came out as bisexual in an exclusive interview with Variety. He credits his role as T.K. and the support from his wife, close friend, Chaise Dennis and co-star, Rafael Silva for the courage to come out. Since coming out, Ronen has continued to be a advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

OTHER VENTURES

Ronen credits himself as an environmentalist and activist. Throughout his career, he has teamed up with many charities, environmental and other sustainable companies. He is currently an Environmental Media Association board member and has been an ambassador for the following brands/companies.

• Energy Independence Now / Drive H2 — Clean driving (FCEVs)
• The Ocean Cleanup — Ocean cleanup company
• VRAI — Sustainably created jewelry
• Cameo — Personalized videos for fans with all proceeds going to charity

This biography was specifically written for Ronen Rubinstein Network