Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Kwanten got into acting by chance after accompanying his brother to an audition where Ryan gave a reading and was signed up by the casting agents. An avid surfer and swimmer, Kwanten was cast in a guest-starring role as a surfer in Home and Away when he was 15 years old. A few years later, he landed a leading role in the series as Vinnie Patterson and stayed with the show for three seasons. He also starred in the Australian series Spellbinder II and guest-starred in A Country Practice, GP and Water Rats. In the U.S., Kwanten had a leading role in Junction Boys and guest-starred in The Handler and Tru Calling. Summerland marks his debut as a regular cast member in an American series.

Kwanten starred in a feature film about surfing called Liquid Bridge that was nominated for Best Picture at the Australian Film Festival. He recently finished production on the coming-of-age independent film American Brown, in which he stars as the title character.