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.
Breathless
(Lt. Parmental)
Futureworld
(Dr. Mort Schneider)
Shamus
(Col. Craig C. Hardcore)
A Killing Affair
(Flagler)
Class of 1999
(Mr. Hardin)
Runaway Train
(Ranken)
A Lovely Way to Die
(Harry Samson (uncredited))
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
(Nathan White)
Bound
(Mickey Malnato)
Five Easy Pieces
(Spicer)
Dillinger
(Charles Mackley)
It's Alive
(Frank Davis)
It Lives Again
(Frank Davis)
Fatal Beauty
(Lt. Kellerman)
The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
(Coslough)
The Missouri Breaks
(Si)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
(Buzz Bronski (voice))
Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
(Gen. Taylor)
Avenging Force
(Prof. Elliott Glastenbury)
The King of Marvin Gardens
(Surtees)
Paramedics
(Captain Prescott)
City of Shadows
(Sergeant Fireman)
The Pixar Story
(Dr. Schneider (archive footage))
Kill Me If You Can
(Johnson)
Target Risk
(Ralph Sloan)
The Postman Always Rings Twice
(Kennedy)
Rent-a-Cop
(Wieser)
Shooting Stars
(McGee)
The Legend of Nigger Charley
(Houston)
Houston: The Legend of Texas
(David Burnett)
Hoffa
(Red Bennett)
Bad Blood
(John Blackstone)
Best of the Best
(Jennings)
The Right Stuff
(Head of Program)
The Cotton Club
(Joe Flynn)
Star Time
(Sam Bones)
Eternity
(Thomas Vandervere / Prosecutor)
Blood River
(Henry Logan)
Young Goodman Brown
(The Devil)
Three O'Clock High
(Mr. O'Rourke)
A Hatful of Rain
(Chuck)
Cops and Robbers
(Patsy O'Neill)
The Escape Artist
(Vernon)
The Patriots
(Arthur)
Death Scream
(Detective Dave Lambert)
White Sands
(Arms Dealer (Uncredited))
Rip Van Winkle
(Hendrick Hudson)
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me
(Oeuf)
M*A*S*H
(Major Van Zandt)
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
(Sheriff Bob Cavendish)
Starsky & Hutch
The F.B.I.
(Ernie Flood)
Simon & Simon
Miami Vice
Hawaii Five-O
(Guido Marioni)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
(Kurt Belzack)
Kaz
Kojak
(Peter Ibbotson)
Hart to Hart
Cagney & Lacey
Police Woman
Hollywood Beat
Matt Houston
Paris
Archer
(Lieutenant Barney Brighton)
Matt Helm
(Carl Ainsley)
The F.B.I.
(William Quine)
Faerie Tale Theatre
(Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice))
American Playhouse
(Peter Doyle)
The Rockford Files
(Dearborn)