Ronen Rubinstein is an Israeli-born American actor, environmental activist and lead singer of the rock band Nights in Stereo. He is best known for his roles as T. K. Strand in 9-1-1: Lone Star, Matt Webb in the spinoff series American Horror Stories, both created by Ryan Murphy, and as Nathan in the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black.
Rubinstein was born in Rehovot, Israel, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants from the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, part of what was then the Soviet Union (now Kazakhstan). His father, a dentist, served in the Israeli army and did not want the same for his children. When Rubinstein was five years old, he moved with his parents and older sister to the United States, where he grew up in the Staten Island borough of New York City. In an interview, Rubinstein said he felt like an outsider growing up as an immigrant, taking English as a Second Language classes and having difficulty adapting to the American culture.
He was introduced to acting in his second year of high school when his guidance counselor suggested he try theater as a form of therapy and escape from the opioid epidemic in his neighborhood. Rubinstein stated: "Acting did save my life. My future was not looking great. Acting gave me grounds to stand on, it gave me discipline and I fell in love with it." He briefly worked as a dental assistant in his father's dental office, but chose not to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor. After attending New Dorp High School, he decided to pursue an acting career and graduated from a one-year program in Acting for Film at the New York Film Academy.
In December 2023, Rubinstein received an honorary degree of Master of Fine Arts in Acting for Film from the New York Film Academy and served as its commencement speaker.
