John P. Ryan
John P. Ryan
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.
Acted Movies
Director: Lana Wachowski
Writers: Lilly Wachowski,
Cast: Barry Kivel, Christopher Meloni, Gina Gershon, Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan, Margaret Smith, Mary Mara, Richard C. Sarafian, Susie Bright,
Director: Mark L. Lester
Writers: C. Courtney Joyner,
Cast: Bradley Gregg, Darren E. Burrows, John P. Ryan, Joshua John Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Pam Grier, Patrick Kilpatrick, Sharon Wyatt, Stacy Keach, Traci Lind,
Director: Phil Joanou
Writers: Tom Szollosi,
Cast: Annie Ryan, Casey Siemaszko, Jeffrey Tambor, John P. Ryan, Jonathan Wise, Mitch Pileggi, Paul Feig, Philip Baker Hall, Richard Tyson, Stacey Glick,
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Writers: Paul Zindel,
Cast: Edward Bunker, Eric Roberts, John P. Ryan, Jon Voight, Kenneth McMillan, Kyle T. Heffner, Rebecca De Mornay, Stacey Pickren, T.K. Carter, Walter Wyatt,
Director: Jim McBride
Writers: L.M. Kit Carson,
Cast: Art Metrano, Garry Goodrow, James Hong, John P. Ryan, Lisa Jane Persky, Richard Gere, Robert Dunn, Valérie Kaprisky, Waldemar Kalinowski, William Tepper,
Director: Bob Rafelson
Writers: David Mamet,
Cast: Anjelica Huston, Brian Farrell, Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, John P. Ryan, Jon Van Ness, Michael Lerner, Thomas Hill, William Traylor,
Director: Charles Jarrott
Writers: Sandy Glass,
Cast: Austin Willis, Dana Elcar, Elliott Gould, Geneviève Bujold, John Fujioka, John P. Ryan, Rick Schroder, Tammy Lauren, Vincent Gardenia, Yuki Shimoda,
Director: Larry Cohen
Writers: Larry Cohen,
Cast: Andrew Duggan, Guy Stockwell, James Dixon, John P. Ryan, Michael Ansara, Nancy Burnett, Robert Emhardt, Shamus Locke, Sharon Farrell, William Wellman Jr.,
Director: John Milius
Writers: John Milius,
Cast: Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Geoffrey Lewis, Harry Dean Stanton, John Martino, John P. Ryan, Michelle Phillips, Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Jenson, Warren Oates,
