John Patryn was born in Poland as Jan Kutrzeba. His family emigrated Finland when he was only five years old. He started performing at a very early age, playing the piano, the accordion, and as a drummer for high school bands. He later also toured with a band as their alto saxophonist, driver and manager. After first studying international business, and working many odd jobs from cab driving to finance, from construction to advertising, he finally went into acting. Prior to working in the U.S., he lived in five different countries. He has been based in New York City since 2010 working mostly in television and film. In 2015 John wrote and directed the single shot short film Wszystko Bedzie Fanie, which will be screening at the Cannes 2016 film festival short film corner. He continues to write and direct under his birth name Jan Kutrzeba.