Menu
John P. Ryan

John P. Ryan

Known For Acting
Birthday Jul 30, 1936
Died Mar 20, 2007 (70)
Birthplace New York City, New York, USA
Popularity 0.6 (history)
Updated Dec 19, 2024 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
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 we ... lfare 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.

Known For

Headshots

Profile
Profile
Filmography

The Pixar Story

The Pixar Story

2007

as Dr. Schneider (archive footage)

Bound

Bound

1996

as Mickey Malnato

Bad Blood

Bad Blood

1994

as John Blackstone

Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown

1993

as The Devil

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

1993

as Buzz Bronski (voice)

Star Time

Star Time

1992

as Sam Bones

Hoffa

Hoffa

1992

as Red Bennett

White Sands

White Sands

1992

as Arms Dealer (Uncredited)

Blood River

Blood River

1991

as Henry Logan

Class of 1999

Class of 1999

1990

as Mr. Hardin

Eternity

Eternity

1990

as Thomas Vandervere / Prosecutor

Best of the Best

Best of the Best

1989

as Jennings

Paramedics

Paramedics

1988

as Captain Prescott

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

1987

as Nathan White

Fatal Beauty

Fatal Beauty

1987

as Lt. Kellerman

Three O'Clock High

Three O'Clock High

1987

as Mr. O'Rourke

City of Shadows

City of Shadows

1987

as Sergeant Fireman

Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle

1987

as Hendrick Hudson

Rent-a-Cop

Rent-a-Cop

1987

as Wieser

Avenging Force

Avenging Force

1986

as Prof. Elliott Glastenbury

Houston: The Legend of Texas

Houston: The Legend of Texas

1986

as David Burnett

Runaway Train

Runaway Train

1985

as Ranken

The Cotton Club

The Cotton Club

1984

as Joe Flynn

Breathless

Breathless

1983

as Lt. Parmental

Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars

1983

as McGee

The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

1983

as Head of Program

The Escape Artist

The Escape Artist

1982

as Vernon

It Lives Again

It Lives Again

1978

as Frank Davis

A Killing Affair

A Killing Affair

1977

as Flagler

Kill Me If You Can

Kill Me If You Can

1977

as Johnson

Futureworld

Futureworld

1976

as Dr. Mort Schneider

The Missouri Breaks

The Missouri Breaks

1976

as Si

Death Scream

Death Scream

1975

as Detective Dave Lambert

Target Risk

Target Risk

1975

as Ralph Sloan

It's Alive

It's Alive

1974

as Frank Davis

Shamus

Shamus

1973

as Col. Craig C. Hardcore

Cops and Robbers

Cops and Robbers

1973

as Patsy O'Neill

Dillinger

Dillinger

1973

as Charles Mackley

The King of Marvin Gardens

The King of Marvin Gardens

1972

as Surtees

Five Easy Pieces

Five Easy Pieces

1970

as Spicer

A Hatful of Rain

A Hatful of Rain

1968

as Chuck

A Lovely Way to Die

A Lovely Way to Die

1968

as Harry Samson (uncredited)

No data available

No data available

No data available

Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

Archer

as Lieutenant Barney Brighton

Episodes: 6

First Aired: Jan 30, 1975

M*A*S*H

as Major Van Zandt

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 17, 1972

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

as Sheriff Bob Cavendish

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Aug 27, 1993

The F.B.I.

as Ernie Flood

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

Hawaii Five-O

as Guido Marioni

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1968

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

as Kurt Belzack

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1979

Kojak

as Peter Ibbotson

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 24, 1973

Matt Helm

as Carl Ainsley

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 20, 1975

The F.B.I.

as William Quine

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 19, 1965

Faerie Tale Theatre

as Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice)

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 11, 1982

American Playhouse

as Peter Doyle

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Jan 12, 1982

The Rockford Files

as Dearborn

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1974

Starsky & Hutch

Episodes: 2

First Aired: Sep 10, 1975

Miami Vice

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 16, 1984

Simon & Simon

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Nov 24, 1981

Kaz

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 10, 1978

Hart to Hart

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 22, 1979

Cagney & Lacey

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Mar 25, 1982

Police Woman

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 13, 1974

Hollywood Beat

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 21, 1985

Matt Houston

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 26, 1982

Paris

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 29, 1979

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 10 16 5
2024 7 12 19 7
2024 8 8 19 4
2024 9 6 13 2
2024 10 5 10 2
2024 11 4 6 2
2024 12 5 10 2
2025 1 7 11 4
2025 2 5 10 1
2025 3 3 6 1
2025 5 1 2 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 3 13 0
2025 9 0 0 0

Trending Rank


Year Month Avg Rank Max Rank
No trending metrics available.

Return to Top