John P. Ryan
48 movies · 21 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jul 30, 1936
- Died
- Mar 20, 2007 (age 70)
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
John P. Ryan: movies and TV shows
Acting (69)
- 2007 The Pixar Story
as Dr. Schneider (archive footage)
- 1996 Bound
as Mickey Malnato
- 1994 Bad Blood
as John Blackstone
- 1994 The Patriots
as Arthur
- 1993 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
as Buzz Bronski (voice)
- 1993
- 1993 Young Goodman Brown
as The Devil
- 1992 Hoffa
as Red Bennett
- 1992 White Sands
as Arms Dealer (Uncredited)
- 1992 Star Time
as Sam Bones
- 1991 Blood River
as Henry Logan
- 1990 Eternity
as Thomas Vandervere / Prosecutor
- 1990 Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
as Gen. Taylor
- 1990 Class of 1999
as Mr. Hardin
- 1989 Best of the Best
as Jennings
- 1988 Paramedics
as Captain Prescott
- 1987 City of Shadows
as Sergeant Fireman
- 1987 Rent-a-Cop
as Wieser
- 1987 Fatal Beauty
as Lt. Kellerman
- 1987 Three O'Clock High
as Mr. O'Rourke
- 1987 Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
as Nathan White
- 1987 Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
as Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice)
- 1986 Houston: The Legend of Texas
as David Burnett
- 1986 Avenging Force
as Prof. Elliott Glastenbury
- 1985 Runaway Train
as Ranken
- 1985
- 1984 The Cotton Club
as Joe Flynn
- 1984
- 1983 The Right Stuff
as Head of Program
- 1983 Shooting Stars
as McGee
- 1983 Breathless
as Lt. Parmental
- 1982
- 1982
- 1982 The Escape Artist
as Vernon
- 1982
- 1982
- 1981
- 1981 The Postman Always Rings Twice
as Kennedy
- 1980 The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
as Coslough
- 1979
- 1979
- 1979
- 1978
- 1978 It Lives Again
as Frank Davis
- 1977 Kill Me If You Can
as Johnson
- 1977 A Killing Affair
as Flagler
- 1976 Futureworld
as Dr. Mort Schneider
- 1976 The Missouri Breaks
as Si
- 1975 Death Scream
as Detective Dave Lambert
- 1975
- 1975
- 1975
- 1975 Target Risk
as Ralph Sloan
- 1974
- 1974
- 1974 It's Alive
as Frank Davis
- 1973
- 1973 Cops and Robbers
as Patsy O'Neill
- 1973 Dillinger
as Charles Mackley
- 1973 Shamus
as Col. Craig C. Hardcore
- 1972 The King of Marvin Gardens
as Surtees
- 1972
- 1972 The Legend of Nigger Charley
as Houston
- 1971
- 1970 Five Easy Pieces
as Spicer
- 1969
- 1968 A Lovely Way to Die
as Harry Samson (uncredited)
- 1968 A Hatful of Rain
as Chuck
- 1965