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John P. Ryan

John P. Ryan

Birthday: 1936-07-30 | Place of Birth: New York City, New York, USA

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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1996
Bound

as    Mickey Malnato

1990
1990
Class of 1999

as    Mr. Hardin

1989
Best of the Best

as    Jennings

1988
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

1986
Houston: The Legend of Texas

as    David Burnett

1986
Avenging Force

as    Prof. Elliott Glastenbury

1985
Runaway Train

as    Ranken

1983
Breathless

as    Lt. Parmental

1982
The Escape Artist

as    Vernon

1981
The Postman Always Rings Twice

as    Kennedy

1980
The Last Flight of Noah's Ark

as    Coslough

1978
It Lives Again

as    Frank Davis

1977
A Killing Affair

as    Flagler

1977
Kill Me If You Can

as    Johnson

1976
Futureworld

as    Dr. Mort Schneider

1976
The Missouri Breaks

as    Si

1975
Death Scream

as    Detective Dave Lambert

1975
Archer

as    Lieutenant Barney Brighton

1974
It's Alive

as    Frank Davis

1973
Dillinger

as    Charles Mackley

1973
Shamus

as    Col. Craig C. Hardcore

1973
Cops and Robbers

as    Patsy O'Neill

1972
The King of Marvin Gardens

as    Surtees