Ian Ousley

Ian Luke Ousley (born March 28, 2002) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender, the live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon series of the same name.

Ian Ousley
Ousley at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2024
Born	Ian Luke Ousley (2002-03-28) March 28, 2002 (age 23) College Station, Texas[1]
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2019–present
Known for	Avatar: The Last Airbender

Biography

Ousley was born on March 28, 2002, in College Station, Texas. He began practicing taekwondo at the age of 9 and competed nationally for five years, later earning a third-degree black belt in 2018.^[1] He appeared in 3 episodes of 13 Reasons Why in 2019 and 2020.^[2]

In August 2021, Ousley was cast as Sokka in the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.^[3] When his casting was announced, an official bio describing him as a "mixed-race, Native American" and a "Cherokee tribe member" was released.^[1] However, it was later reported by the Cherokee Phoenix that he is not a citizen of any of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes in the United States, and is instead a member of the Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky, an organization that self-identifies as a tribe. The organization has received some acknowledgement at the state and municipal level in Kentucky, but is not recognized as a tribe by the state government, the federal government, or any of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes.^[4]

Filmography

Year	Media	Role	Notes
2019	Sorry for Your Loss[5]	Brayden	1 episode
2019–2020	13 Reasons Why[6]	Robby Corman	3 episodes
2020	Young Sheldon	Jeremy[7][8]	1 episode
2021	Big Shot[6]	Bodhi	2 episodes
	Physical[6]	Zeke Breem	Season 1 only; 4 episodes
2024–present	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Sokka	Main role