Who is Ryan Paevey? Everything to know about the actor as he confirms his return to General Hospital after 7 years

General Hospital star Ryan Paevey is making his return to Port Charles. Ryan is an American actor and model best known for his portrayal of Nathan West on General Hospital. The actor, whose character was killed by a gunshot wound in 2018, is heading back to Port Charles. 

The news was confirmed by the actor himself after an exclusive interview with Deadline on August 18, 2025. The actor shared the text he received from the producer of the show.

Ryan portrayed the character of Nathan West, who is a detective. The character came to the fictional island of Port Charles in 2013 and has been at the center of several major storylines.

He has also been at the center because of his love interest, Maxie Jones. The shocking return of the character is going to make waves, which will leave fans on the edge.

It looks like a lot of characters are returning from the dead, literally, first Britt Westbourne, and now Nathan West. 

Here’s everything to know about Ryan Paevey’s return to Port Charles

The news about Paevey’s return announcement came through Deadline’s exclusive interview with the actor who revealed that he received a surprising message from General Hospital’s executive producer Frank Valentini.

Paevey shared:

“We talked a bit and he asked would I consider returning for awhile, talking story, floated different story ideas involving different time commitments of me, and I thought if we’re going to do this we should really do it and surprise the fans with a meaty storyline.”

 The actor further added:

“I was surprised by my excitement for a homecoming and reuniting with familiar faces after seven years. I still have my last call sheet from my final taping day on January 18, 2018, tacked up in my home office.”

Fans of the daytime soap opera General Hospital are speculating that his return to Port Charles may be connected to Britt Westbourne. Meanwhile, recent episodes have shown Maxie Jones working tirelessly to expose Sonny's alleged involvement with dirty money in Deception.

In a recent scene, Maxie even fainted while applying the new cream launched by Deception Cosmetics. With so many possible directions for the storyline, viewers are eager and excited to see how his return will unfold.

Here’s everything to know about Ryan Paevey, the actor behind the character on General Hospital

Ryan Paevey was born on September 24, 1984, in Santa Monica, California. The actor began his career in modeling during high school and appeared in music videos such as Christina Aguilera's "Your Body" in 2012.

Apart from that, the actor has appeared on several Hallmark Channel movies, like Unleashing Mr. Darcy and its sequel Marrying Mr. Darcy, Two Tickets to Paradise, Christmas at the Plaza, and many more. 

The actor got his first breakthrough when he made his acting debut on the ABC soap opera General Hospital by portraying the role of Nathan West, which was his first series regular role.

The character of Nathan West has been at the center of several storylines, mainly because he was a detective on Port Charles. Nathan arrives in Port Charles on New Year's Eve to investigate Silas Clay and Ava Jerome, aware of their secret.

Anyhow, in 2018, Nathan’s connection to Cesar Faison ultimately sealed his fate. In early 2018, during a tense confrontation, Nathan was shot while trying to protect Maxie. He died from complications, leaving behind a pregnant wife and a devastated Port Charles.

Catch the latest episodes of General Hospital on ABC and Hulu.