John P. Ryan, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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2.2002

John P. Ryan
Acting

John P. Ryan
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1936-07-30,New York City, New York, USA
Gender
Male
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.

Filmography

5.9

Breathless
1983-05-13

5.888

Futureworld
1976-07-14

6.185

Shamus
1973-01-31

A Killing Affair

4.833

A Killing Affair
1977-09-21

6.079

Class of 1999
1990-04-01

6.972

Runaway Train
1985-11-15

A Lovely Way to Die

4.844

A Lovely Way to Die
1968-04-19

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

5.717

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
1987-06-11

7.213

Bound
1996-09-13

Five Easy Pieces

7.1

Five Easy Pieces
1970-09-12

6.596

Dillinger
1973-07-20

6.016

It's Alive
1974-04-26

5.5

It Lives Again
1978-05-10

5.58

Fatal Beauty
1987-10-30

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark

5.595

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
1980-06-24

The Missouri Breaks

6.504

The Missouri Breaks
1976-05-19

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

7.495

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
1993-12-25

Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection

5.616

Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
1990-08-24

5.7

Avenging Force
1986-09-12

The King of Marvin Gardens

5.888

The King of Marvin Gardens
1972-10-13

3.143

Paramedics
1988-06-01

City of Shadows

3.6

City of Shadows
1987-12-11

The Pixar Story

7.551

The Pixar Story
2007-08-28

Kill Me If You Can

0

Kill Me If You Can
1977-09-25

7

Target Risk
1975-01-06

The Postman Always Rings Twice

6.507

The Postman Always Rings Twice
1981-03-20

4.811

Rent-a-Cop
1987-11-28

5

Shooting Stars
1983-07-28

The Legend of Nigger Charley

6.447

The Legend of Nigger Charley
1972-03-16

Houston: The Legend of Texas

7.2

Houston: The Legend of Texas
1986-11-22

6.269

Hoffa
1992-12-25

4.5

Bad Blood
1994-11-03

Best of the Best

6.5

Best of the Best
1989-11-10

The Right Stuff

7.414

The Right Stuff
1983-10-20

The Cotton Club

6.515

The Cotton Club
1984-12-14

5.661

Star Time
1992-01-20

3.9

Eternity
1990-11-15

4.7

Blood River
1991-03-17

Young Goodman Brown

6.667

Young Goodman Brown
1993-04-16

Three O'Clock High

6.798

Three O'Clock High
1987-10-09

A Hatful of Rain

7

A Hatful of Rain
1968-03-03

Cops and Robbers

6.3

Cops and Robbers
1973-08-15

The Escape Artist

6.2

The Escape Artist
1982-05-28

6.642

The Patriots
1994-05-18

6.583

Death Scream
1975-09-26

5.877

White Sands
1992-04-24

Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle

6.5

Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
1987-03-23

Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me

3.714

Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me
1971-09-15

7.933

M*A*S*H
1972-09-17

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

7.087

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
1993-08-27

Starsky & Hutch

7.3

Starsky & Hutch
1975-09-10

5.64

The F.B.I.
1965-09-19

6.7

Simon & Simon
1981-11-24

7.453

Miami Vice
1984-09-16

7.172

Hawaii Five-O
1968-09-20

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

6.993

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979-09-20

7

Kaz
1978-09-10

7.146

Kojak
1973-10-24

6.878

Hart to Hart
1979-09-22

6.971

Cagney & Lacey
1982-03-25

6.422

Police Woman
1974-09-13

5

Hollywood Beat
1985-09-21

6.321

Matt Houston
1982-09-26

6.5

Paris
1979-09-29

7

Archer
1975-01-30

7.833

Matt Helm
1975-09-20

5.64

The F.B.I.
1965-09-19

Faerie Tale Theatre

8.1

Faerie Tale Theatre
1982-09-11

American Playhouse

6.625

American Playhouse
1982-01-12

The Rockford Files

7.6

The Rockford Files
1974-09-13