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Acting
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.

The Pixar Story
as Dr. Schneider (archive footage)

Bound
as Mickey Malnato

Bad Blood
as John Blackstone

The Patriots
as Arthur

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
as Buzz Bronski (voice)

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
as Sheriff Bob Cavendish

Young Goodman Brown
as The Devil

Hoffa
as Red Bennett

White Sands
as Arms Dealer (Uncredited)

Star Time
as Sam Bones

Blood River
as Henry Logan

Eternity
as Thomas Vandervere / Prosecutor

Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
as Gen. Taylor

Class of 1999
as Mr. Hardin

Best of the Best
as Jennings

Paramedics
as Captain Prescott

City of Shadows
as Sergeant Fireman

Rent-a-Cop
as Wieser

Fatal Beauty
as Lt. Kellerman

Three O'Clock High
as Mr. O'Rourke

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
as Nathan White

Faerie Tale Theatre: Rip Van Winkle
as Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice)

Houston: The Legend of Texas
as David Burnett

Avenging Force
as Prof. Elliott Glastenbury

Runaway Train
as Ranken

Hollywood Beat

The Cotton Club
as Joe Flynn

Miami Vice
as Jake Manning

The Right Stuff
as Head of Program

Shooting Stars
as McGee

Breathless
as Lt. Parmental

Matt Houston

Faerie Tale Theatre
as Hendrick Hudson / Narrator (voice)

The Escape Artist
as Vernon

Cagney & Lacey

American Playhouse
as Peter Doyle

Simon & Simon

The Postman Always Rings Twice
as Kennedy

The Last Flight of Noah's Ark
as Coslough

Paris

Hart to Hart

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
as Kurt Belzack

Kaz

It Lives Again
as Frank Davis

Kill Me If You Can
as Johnson

A Killing Affair
as Flagler

Futureworld
as Dr. Mort Schneider

The Missouri Breaks
as Si

Death Scream
as Detective Dave Lambert

Matt Helm
as Carl Ainsley

Starsky & Hutch

Archer
as Lieutenant Barney Brighton

Target Risk
as Ralph Sloan

Police Woman

The Rockford Files
as Dearborn

It's Alive
as Frank Davis

Kojak
as Peter Ibbotson

Cops and Robbers
as Patsy O'Neill

Dillinger
as Charles Mackley

Shamus
as Col. Craig C. Hardcore