Background and career
Raviv Chanan "Ricky" Ullman (Hebrew: רביב חנן "ריקי" אולמן; born 24 January 1986) is an Israeli actor. He is best known for playing Phil Diffy, the main character in the Disney Channel series Phil of the Future.
Ullman was born in Eilat, Israel, to American Jewish parents Laura Ullman (née Ehrenkranz), a teacher, and Brian Ullman, a printer. He has a younger sister and younger brother named Tali and Nadav, respectively. After his first birthday, his family left their kibbutz in Israel for Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, and then to Fairfield, Connecticut, the following year. Ullman was raised Orthodox Jewish. His maternal grandfather, Joseph Ehrenkranz, was an Orthodox rabbi in Stamford, Connecticut. Ullman is a first cousin, twice removed, of former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. Lieberman's mother and Ullman's matrilineal great-grandmother were sisters. Ullman taught himself how to play the trombone. Ullman was selected to attend the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY) youth leadership program of Connecticut in March 2002 where he was selected as the "outstanding ambassador" enabling him to attend the HOBY World Leadership Congress in the summer of 2002. He went to Hillel Academy and is a graduate of Fairfield Warde High School. He was active in National Conference of Synagogue Youth.
Ullman's first professional role was as Louis in the national touring company of The King and I along with Jesse McCartney. Other productions he worked on include Peter Pan at the Polka Dot Playhouse, The Music Man with the New England Repertory Company, and Just People at the Long Wharf Theatre. He received a 1998–1999 Best Actor nomination from the Connecticut Critics' Awards for his character Stanley in Stamford Theater Work's A Rosen by Any Other Name. He had small roles in film and television shows, notably portraying Christopher Knight in the 2000 movie Growing Up Brady.
Ullman is best known for his starring role as Phil Diffy, a teen from the year 2121 on Disney Channel's Phil of the Future, a series that debuted June 2004. He also starred as Roscoe in Disney's made-for-television film Pixel Perfect. During this period, Ullman appeared in other Disney Channel programming, such as a guest role on That's So Raven, and was an identified member of the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, appearing with other members of the Circle in the music video for "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," where he sang as well as played the drums.
In 2004, Ullman starred as Sam in ABC Family's television film Searching for David's Heart. He appeared in a string of independent films including The Big Bad Swim and Driftwood (2006), Normal Adolescent Behavior (2007), and Prom Wars (2008). During this period, he guest-starred in TV shows like Big Love and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ullman was cast as Kip in the Lifetime sitcom Rita Rocks, which premiered in 2009. His character was the drummer in the titular character's band and her daughter's boyfriend. The show was canceled after two seasons. While Ullman previously went by the stage name Ricky, he started using his real name in 2006 when he guest-starred on an episode of House and continued to use Raviv on all projects since.
In June 2006, Ullman and a few of his friends created parody hip-hop music videos under the name the Webee Boys. In December 2006, Ullman met actor Douglas Smith of Big Love fame and together they formed a band called Goodbye Ian. The group expanded to seven people and later changed its name to His Orchestra. Ullman plays drums and glockenspiel in the band, which released its debut album, Field Guide to the Wilds, on 24 February 2009.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
