John P. Ryan

John P. Ryan

Birthday: 1936-07-30

Deathday: 2007-03-20

Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA

Also known as:

imdb_id: nm0752636

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.

Played in movies:

The Pixar Story

Score: 7.6

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Score: 7.5

The Right Stuff

Score: 7.4

Bound

Score: 7.2

Five Easy Pieces

Score: 7.1

Runaway Train

Score: 7.0

Houston: The Legend of Texas

Score: 6.9

Three O'Clock High

Score: 6.8

The Patriots

Score: 6.7

Death Scream

Score: 6.6

Dillinger

Score: 6.6

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Score: 6.5

The Missouri Breaks

Score: 6.5

The Cotton Club

Score: 6.5

Best of the Best

Score: 6.5

Shamus

Score: 6.4

The Legend of Nigger Charley

Score: 6.3

Hoffa

Score: 6.3

Cops and Robbers

Score: 6.3

Rip Van Winkle

Score: 6.2

The Escape Artist

Score: 6.2

Class of 1999

Score: 6.1

It's Alive

Score: 6.0

White Sands

Score: 5.9

Breathless

Score: 5.9

Futureworld

Score: 5.9

The King of Marvin Gardens

Score: 5.8

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

Score: 5.7

Avenging Force

Score: 5.6

Star Time

Score: 5.5

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark

Score: 5.5

Fatal Beauty

Score: 5.5

Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection

Score: 5.5

It Lives Again

Score: 5.4

A Killing Affair

Score: 5.2

Young Goodman Brown

Score: 5.0

Rent-a-Cop

Score: 4.7

Blood River

Score: 4.5

A Lovely Way to Die

Score: 4.5

Bad Blood

Score: 4.5

Eternity

Score: 3.6

Shooting Stars

Score: 3.5

Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me

Score: 3.2

City of Shadows

Score: 2.3

Paramedics

Score: 2.2

A Hatful of Rain

Score: 0.0

Target Risk

Score: 0.0

Kill Me If You Can

Score: 0.0

Played in tv shows:

Faerie Tale Theatre

Score: 8.1

M*A*S*H

Score: 7.9

The Rockford Files

Score: 7.6

Archer

Score: 7.5

Miami Vice

Score: 7.5

Matt Helm

Score: 7.4

Starsky & Hutch

Score: 7.2

Hawaii Five-O

Score: 7.1

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Score: 7.1

Kojak

Score: 7.0

Cagney & Lacey

Score: 7.0

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Score: 7.0

Hart to Hart

Score: 6.8

Simon & Simon

Score: 6.7

American Playhouse

Score: 6.3

Police Woman

Score: 6.3

Matt Houston

Score: 6.2

The F.B.I.

Score: 5.5

The F.B.I.

Score: 5.5

Paris

Score: 5.0

Hollywood Beat

Score: 5.0

Kaz

Score: 5.0