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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
July 30, 1936
Died
March 20, 2007
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
John P. Ryan
0.8 Popularity
Biography
Character actor John P. Ryan was born on July 30, 1936 in New York City. The son of Irish immigrant parents, Ryan graduated from Rice High School and studied English at the City College of New York, where he first developed an interest in acting. He served six years in the US Army and worked as a welfare investigator prior to pursuing an acting career. John made his film debut in the 1967 comedy "The Tiger Makes Out." He appeared in five pictures for Jack Nicholson; he's especially memorable as male nurse Spicer in "Five Easy Pieces." Manic, pale-eyed and craggy-faced, with an often intense and explosive screen presence, Ryan was frequently cast as nasty villains, hard-boiled police officers, and strict military men. John gave a strong and touching performance in a rare change-of-pace sympathetic role as Frank Davis, the bitter and regretful father of a murderous monster mutant baby in Larry Cohen's excellent "It's Alive." He also portrayed Davis in the okay sequel "It Lives Again." Other notable movie parts include the fanatical Colonel Hardcore in "Shamus," shrewd mob capo Patsy O'Neill in the witty "Cops and Robbers," evil scientist Schneider in "Futureworld," the dogged Lt. Parmental in "Breathless," vicious Irish mobster Joe Flynn in "The Cotten Club;" at his ferocious best as sadistic prison Warden Ranken in the powerful "Runaway Train," hateful fascist lunatic Glastenbury in the exciting "Avenging Force," ruthless drug kingpin Nathan White in the cruddy "Death Wish IV: The Crackdown," ramrod high school principal Mr. O'Rourke in the amusing "Three O'Clock High," and lethal robot history teacher Mr. Hardin in "Class of 1999." Among the TV shows Ryan did guest spots on are "M.A.S.H.," "The Rockford Files," "Hawaii Five-O," "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," "Starsky & Hutch," "Kojak," "Hart to Hart," "The F.B.I.," and "Miami Vice." John had a recurring role on the TV series "Archer." In addition to his film and TV credits, Ryan also appeared in over 90 stage plays. Following his final film appearance in "Bound," John spent his later years giving acting lessons and was an advocate of spiritual healing. John P. Ryan died from a stroke at age 70 on March 20, 2007 in Los Angeles, California; he's survived by two daughters.
Known For
7.6
Dr. Schneider (archive footage)
The Pixar Story
2007
7.2
Mickey Malnato
Bound
1996
4.3
John Blackstone
Bad Blood
1994
6.6
Arthur
The Patriots
1994
7.5
Buzz Bronski (voice)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1993
7.0
Sheriff Bob Cavendish
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
1993
5.0
The Devil
Young Goodman Brown
1993
6.3
Red Bennett
Hoffa
1992
5.9
Arms Dealer (Uncredited)
White Sands
1992
5.4
Sam Bones
Star Time
1992
Credits
The Pixar Story
as Dr. Schneider (archive footage)
2007
7.6
Bound
as Mickey Malnato
1996
7.2
Bad Blood
as John Blackstone
1994
4.3
The Patriots
as Arthur
1994
6.6
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
as Buzz Bronski (voice)
1993
7.5
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
as Sheriff Bob Cavendish
1993
7.0
Young Goodman Brown
as The Devil
1993
5.0
Hoffa
as Red Bennett
1992
6.3
White Sands
as Arms Dealer (Uncredited)
1992
5.9
Star Time
as Sam Bones
1992
5.4
Blood River
as Henry Logan
1991
3.8
Eternity
as Thomas Vandervere / Prosecutor
1990
3.4
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
as Gen. Taylor
1990
5.5
Class of 1999
as Mr. Hardin
1990
6.1
Best of the Best
as Jennings
1989
6.5
Paramedics
as Captain Prescott
1988
2.2
City of Shadows
as Sergeant Fireman
1987
2.0
Rent-a-Cop
as Wieser
1987
4.6
Fatal Beauty
as Lt. Kellerman
1987
5.5
Three O'Clock High
as Mr. O'Rourke
1987
6.8
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
as Nathan White
1987
5.7
Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
as Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice)
1987
6.0
Houston: The Legend of Texas
as David Burnett
1986
6.9
Avenging Force
as Prof. Elliott Glastenbury
1986
5.6
Runaway Train
as Ranken
1985
7.0
Hollywood Beat
1985
5.0
The Cotton Club
as Joe Flynn
1984
6.5
Miami Vice
as Jake Manning
1984
7.5
The Right Stuff
as Head of Program
1983
7.4
Shooting Stars
as McGee
1983
3.5
Breathless
as Lt. Parmental
1983
5.8
Matt Houston
1982
6.2
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice)
1982
8.1
The Escape Artist
as Vernon
1982
6.2
Cagney & Lacey
1982
7.0
American Playhouse
as Peter Doyle
1982
6.2
Simon & Simon
1981
6.7
The Postman Always Rings Twice
as Kennedy
1981
6.5
The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
as Coslough
1980
5.5
Paris
1979
5.0
Hart to Hart
1979
6.9
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
as Kurt Belzack
1979
7.0
Kaz
1978
5.0
It Lives Again
as Frank Davis
1978
5.5
Kill Me If You Can
as Johnson
1977
0.0
A Killing Affair
as Flagler
1977
4.4
Futureworld
as Dr. Mort Schneider
1976
5.9
The Missouri Breaks
as Si
1976
6.5
Death Scream
as Detective Dave Lambert
1975
6.6
Matt Helm
as Carl Ainsley
1975
7.4
Starsky & Hutch
1975
7.3
🎬
Archer
as Lieutenant Barney Brighton
1975
6.7
Target Risk
as Ralph Sloan
1975
0.0
The Rockford Files
as Dearborn
1974
7.6
Police Woman
1974
6.2
It's Alive
as Frank Davis
1974
6.0
Kojak
as Peter Ibbotson
1973
7.0
Cops and Robbers
as Patsy O'Neill
1973
6.2
Dillinger
as Charles Mackley
1973
6.5
Shamus
as Col. Craig C. Hardcore
1973
6.1
The King of Marvin Gardens
as Surtees
1972
5.8
M*A*S*H
as Major Van Zandt
1972
7.9
The Legend of Nigger Charley
as Houston
1972
6.3
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me
as Oeuf
1971
2.8
Five Easy Pieces
as Spicer
1970
7.1
Hawaii Five-O
as Guido Marioni
1968
7.1
A Lovely Way to Die
as Harry Samson (uncredited)
1968
4.7
A Hatful of Rain
as Chuck
1968
0.0
The F.B.I.
as Ernie Flood
1965
5.4
The F.B.I.
as William Quine
1965
5.4