Thanawat Ratanakitpaisan (Thai: ธนวัฒน์ รัตนกิจไพศาล; born 13 October 1998), nicknamed Khaotung (Thai: ข้าวตัง) is a Thai actor signed under GMMTV. He made his acting debut in 'Cause You're My Boy (2018) and is best known for his starring roles in the television series Tonhon Chonlatee (2020), 55:15 Never Too Late (2021), The Eclipse (2022), Only Friends (2023) and The Heart Killers (2024).
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Early life and education
Ratanakitpaisan was born and raised in Lamphun Province, Thailand. He has a younger sister. His father died when he was seven years old. He completed his secondary education at Monfort College. In 2017, he enrolled at Chiang Mai University under the Faculty of Medical Technology before transferring to Kasetsart University to study Environmental Engineering in 2018.
Career
In 2018, at the age of 19, Ratanakitpaisan was signed as an artist under the production and talent agency GMMTV after a casting manager saw his photos on social media and asked him to audition for the company. Shortly after, he made his acting television debut as a supporting character in the series 'Cause You're My Boy. He followed this by supporting roles in The Charming Step Mom, Blacklist and 2gether.
In 2020, Ratanakitpaisan landed his first leading role as the titular character in the boys' love series Tonhon Chonlatee alongside Suphakorn Sriphothong.
In 2021, Ratanakitpaisan played Longtae, the village chief's son, in A Tale of Thousand Stars. Later in the year, he ventured into music, releasing his first single, "Never Too Late", which served as the opening theme song for the series 55:15 Never Too Late, in which he also starred in a main role as Paul, a closeted 55-year-old man who wakes up in the body of his 15-year-old self.
In 2022, Ratanakitpaisan starred as Ayan in the series The Eclipse alongside real-life best friend Kanaphan Puitrakul (First). The Eclipse won Best BL Series at the Thai Digital Awards 2022 and the Bronze Award for Best LGBTQ+ Programme Made in Asia at the Content Asia Awards 2023. He also earned an Asia Television Awards nomination for Best Theme Song for "Over The Moon (คลาด)" for which Ratanakitpaisan provided lead vocals. The two would later reprise their roles as Akk and Ayan in the 2023 anthology series Our Skyy 2.
In 2023, Ratanakitpaisan had a supporting role in the Moonlight Chicken. For his portrayal of Gaipa, he won the award for Best Supporting Actor at the Y Universe Awards, as well as a nomination for Best Actor in A Supporting Role at the Asia Television Awards. In August, Ratanakitpaisan played Ray, a wealthy university student suffering from alcohol addiction, in the ensemble cast series Only Friends. The role earned him a Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination at the Y Universe Awards.
In 2024, Ratanakitpaisan became one of the new hosts of the long-running variety show School Rangers. Later in the year, he worked again with Only Friends director Tichakorn Phukhaotong and on-screen partner Kanaphan Puitrakul (First), playing an assassin in The Heart Killers.