Gosling was a cast member on the hit show The Mickey Mouse Club alongside fellow stars; Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, and Keri Russell. He was part of the last set of new Mouseketeers to be admitted into the show before it ended its run. He sang, danced, and acted on the show.

Gosling was in many Canadian television series/movies including, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps, Road to Avonlea and Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy. He starred in the Canadian television show Breaker High which aired on YTV in Canada and UPN in the United States from 1997 to 1998. Then from 1998-1999 Gosling starred in Young Hercules which was shot on location in New Zealand. The show told the tale of Hercules adventures as a teenager when he learned his warrior skills at a training academy. In 2000, he got his breakout role in Remember the Titans as Alan Bosley, working alongside Denzel Washington.

Gosling has had no formal training as an actor. His fame spread to the United States after he starred in the 2001 controversial drama The Believer, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2002 Gosling's film, The Slaughter Rule showcased at Sundance Film Festival and Murder by Numbers screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Then back to the Sundance Film Festival in 2003 for The United States of Leland who also starred, Don Cheadle and Kevin Spacey. He also met Michelle Williams for the first time while on set: she played his character's girlfriend, Jena Malone's sister.

Gosling won the Best Actor category at the Spirit Awards (formerly known as the Independent Spirit Awards) for his role as a drug-addicted, junior high school history teacher in the 2006 film Half Nelson. For the same role, he was nominated for an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Broadcast Film Critics Association award as best actor. Gosling also holds the distinction of being the first former Mickey Mouse Club cast member (of both the original and the revival) to be nominated for an Oscar and the first Canadian actor to be nominated in 62 years, since Alexander Knox (Wilson) in 1944.

On December 13, 2007, Gosling was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Lars and the Real Girl. A week later, he was subsequently nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. He had also received a Broadcast Film Critics Association nomination and won a Satellite Award for this performance as well. In February 2008, he was presented with the inaugural Independent Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. In her introduction, presenter Jenelle Riley called him “The most consistent and compelling actor working today.”

On December 25, 2008 Dead Man's Bones released a music video and free download for their song “In The Room Where You Sleep,” and on April 4, 2009, the band released another music video for their song “Name In Stone” on MySpace and YouTube. The self-titled debut album from the band, featuring members of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music's children's choir, was released on October 6, 2009 through ANTI- records. In 2010, they released two other music videos for tracks; “Dead Hearts” and “Pa Pa Power” Gosling and Shields also toured around North America for fall/Halloween 2009 with a local choir and talent show at every show to rave reviews. Each children choir was similar to the LA group, Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir, which they recorded with on the album.

Derek Cianfrance's directorial debut was shot in 2009 with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, taking the director 12 years to make. Blue Valentine was premiered at the 2010, Sundance Film Festival as one of 16 films selected from 1,058 submissions for the dramatic competition. Written by Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, the screenplay won the 2006 Chrysler Film Project contest, which came with $1 million of funding. After Cianfrance's world premiere at Sundance, in 2010 Blue Valentine was also screened at Cannes International Film Festival's Un Certain Regard and the film played to the press and public at the Toronto International Film Festival. Following those three festivals, the film has since been screened at various festivals around the world.

In 2010, Ryan Gosling narrated Phillip Montgomery’s ReGeneration, a new documentary that explores the widespread cynicism in today’s youth and young adults, and the influences that perpetuate our culture’s apathetic view towards social and political causes. Gosling also produced the documentary along with Anonymous Content’s Matt DeRoss and Engine 7 Films’ Joel Goulder and Jeremy Goulder. Montgomery said,“It is an honor to work with one of the most talented and intelligent artists of our generation. As a socially conscious individual himself, Ryan brings an inspired freshness to the films core message of hope and action. There is truly no better voice to guide us through this film.”

Ryan Gosling will be co-staring in Crazy, Stupid, Love with Steve Carell, Kevin Bacon, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Analeigh Tipton and Josh Groban. The film is being distributed by Warner Brothers and is set for theatrical release in July, 2011.

In September 2010, Gosling began filming on the independent feature, Drive, by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The film co-stars Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Ron Perlman. FilmDistrict picked up distribution rights and will release it on September 16, 2011. Gosling is also scheduled to star in the George Clooney-directed film version of Beau Willimon's award-winning play, Farragut North, now known as The Ides of March.