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Robert Ryan

Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American  actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains. Ryan was born in Chicago, Illinois, the first child of Timothy Ryan and his wife Mabel Bushnell Ryan.  He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1932, having held the school's heavyweight boxing title all four years of his attendance. After graduation, the 6`4" Ryan found employment as a stoker on a ship, a WPA worker, and a ranch hand in Montana. Ryan attempted to make a career in show business as a playwright, but had to turn to acting to support himself. He studied acting in Hollywood and appeared on stage and in small film parts during the early 1940s. In January 1944, after securing a contract guarantee from RKO Radio Pictures, Ryan enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a drill instructor at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California. At Camp Pendleton, he befriended writer and future director Richard Brooks, whose novel, The Brick Foxhole, he greatly admired. He also took up painting. Ryan's breakthrough film role was as an anti-Semitic killer in Crossfire (1947), a film noir based on Brooks's novel. The role won Ryan his sole career Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. From then on, Ryan's specialty was tough/tender roles, finding particular expression in the films of directors such as Nicholas Ray, Robert Wise and Sam Fuller. In Ray's On Dangerous Ground (1951) he portrayed a burnt-out city cop finding redemption while solving a rural murder. In Wise's The Set-Up (1949), he played an over-the-hill boxer who is brutally punished for refusing to take a dive. Other important films were Anthony Mann's western The Naked Spur, Sam Fuller's uproarious Japanese set gangland thriller House of Bamboo, Bad Day at Black Rock, and the socially conscious heist movie Odds Against Tomorrow. He also appeared in several all-star war films, including The Longest Day (1962) and Battle of the Bulge (1965), and The Dirty Dozen. He also played John the Baptist in MGM's Technicolor epic King of Kings (1961) and was the villainous Claggart in Peter Ustinov's adaptation of Billy Budd (1962). In his later years, Ryan continued playing significant roles in major films. Most notable of these were The Dirty Dozen, The Professionals (1966) and Sam Peckinpah's highly influential brutal western The Wild Bunch (1969). Ryan appeared several times on the Broadway stage. His credits there include Clash by Night, Mr. President and The Front Page, the comedy drama about newspapermen. He appeared in many television series as a guest star, including the role of Franklin Hoppy-Hopp in the 1964 episode "Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree?" on the NBC medical drama about psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour. Similarly, he guest starred as Lloyd Osment in the 1964 episode "Better Than a Dead Lion" in the ABC psychiatric series, Breaking Point. In 1964, Ryan appeared with Warren Oates in the episode "No Comment" of CBS's short-lived drama about newspapers, The Reporter, starring Harry Guardino in the title role of journalist Danny Taylor. Ryan appeared five times (1956–1959) on CBS's Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater and twice (1959 and 1961) on the Zane Grey spin-off Frontier Justice. He appeared three times (1962–1964) on the western Wagon Train.


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Born:
Nov 11, 1909 In Chicago, Illinois, United States
Movie/TV Credits:
87
First Appeared:
In the movie Strong Boy 1929-03-03
Latest Project:
Movie The Union 2024-08-16
Known For
Poster of Flying Leathernecks
Poster of Best of the Badmen
Filmography
Movie The Union Union Mechanic 2024-08-16
Movie Twist Wealthy Art Patron 2021-01-22
Movie Ring of Desire Nick 2021-11-09
Movie Cruella Ball Guest (uncredited) 2021-05-26
Movie Judy Paparazzi Photographer 2019-09-27
Movie Mission: Impossible - Fallout Office Manager (uncredited) 2018-07-13
Movie Peterloo Citizen #2 2018-11-01
Movie Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade Self (archive footage) 2004-07-25
Movie The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller Sandy Dawson (archive footage) (uncredited) 2002-07-02
Movie Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire Self (archive footage) 1991-07-15
Movie The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn Self (archive footage) 1986-03-09
Movie Lolly-Madonna XXX Pap Gutshall 1973-02-21
Movie The Man Without a Country Lt. Cmdr. Vaughan 1973-04-24
Movie The Outfit Mailer 1973-10-19
Movie Executive Action Foster 1973-11-07
Movie The Iceman Cometh Larry Slade 1973-11-10
Movie And Hope to Die Charley 1972-09-15
Movie Lawman Sabbath Marshal Cotton Ryan 1971-03-11
Movie The Love Machine Gregory 'Greg' Austin 1971-08-14
Movie The Reason Why Roger 1970-01-02
Movie The Wild Bunch Deke Thornton 1969-06-19
Movie A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die New Mexico Gov. Lem Carter 1968-02-08
Movie Anzio Gen. Carson 1968-07-24
Movie The Busy Body Charley Barker 1967-03-12
Movie The Dirty Dozen Col. Everett Dasher Breed 1967-06-15
Movie Hour of the Gun Ike Clanton 1967-11-01
Movie Custer of the West Mulligan 1967-11-09
Movie The Professionals Ehrengard 1966-11-01
Movie Battle of the Bulge General Grey 1965-12-16
Movie The Crooked Road Richard Ashley 1965-02-03
Movie The Dirty Game General Bruce 1965-06-23
Series Kraft Suspense Theatre Unknown 1963-10-10
Movie The Longest Day Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin 1962-09-25
Movie Billy Budd John Claggart, Master of Arms 1962-11-12
Movie The Canadians Inspector William Gannon 1961-03-11
Movie Ice Palace Thor Storm 1960-01-02
Movie Day of the Outlaw Blaise Starrett 1959-07-01
Movie Lonelyhearts William Shrike 1959-03-04
Movie Odds Against Tomorrow Earle Slater 1959-10-15
Movie Men in War Lt. Benson 1957-06-07
Movie The Proud Ones Marshal Cass Silver 1956-05-15
Movie Back from Eternity Bill Lonagan 1956-09-07
Movie Escape to Burma Jim Brecan 1955-04-09
Movie House of Bamboo Sandy Dawson 1955-07-01
Movie The Tall Men Nathan Stark 1955-09-22
Movie Alaska Seas Matt Kelly 1954-01-27
Movie About Mrs. Leslie George Leslie 1954-08-03
Movie Her Twelve Men Joe Hargrave 1954-08-11
Movie The Naked Spur Ben Vandergroat 1953-01-30
Movie City Beneath the Sea Brad Carlton 1953-04-21
Movie Inferno Donald Whitley Carson III 1953-08-12
Movie Clash by Night Earl Pfeiffer 1952-05-30
Movie Beware, My Lovely Howard Wilton 1952-08-29
Movie Horizons West Dan Hammond 1952-10-11
Movie Hard, Fast and Beautiful Seabright Tennis Match Spectator (uncredited) 1951-05-23
Movie Best of the Badmen Jeff Clanton 1951-08-09
Movie On Dangerous Ground Jim Wilson 1951-12-13
Movie The Racket Nick Scanlon 1951-10-25
Movie Flying Leathernecks Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin 1951-08-28
Movie The Secret Fury David McLean 1950-02-21
Movie The Woman on Pier 13 Bradley Collins / Frank Johnson 1950-06-15
Movie Act of Violence Joe Parkson 1949-02-01
Movie Slightly French Carnival Barker (uncredited) 1949-02-02
Movie The Set-Up Stoker 1949-03-29
Movie Berlin Express Robert Lindley 1948-05-01
Movie Return of the Bad Men Sundance Kid 1948-07-17
Movie The Boy with Green Hair Dr. Evans 1948-11-26
Movie The Woman on the Beach Scott Burnett 1947-06-07
Movie Trail Street Allen Harper 1947-02-19
Movie Crossfire Montgomery 1947-08-15
Movie The Walls Came Tumbling Down Detective Regan (as Bob Ryan) 1946-06-07
Movie Tender Comrade Chris Jones 1944-05-30
Movie Marine Raiders Capt. Dan Craig 1944-07-11
Movie The Sky's the Limit Reginald Fenton 1943-07-13
Movie Bombardier Joe Connors 1943-05-14
Movie Behind the Rising Sun Lefty O'Doyle 1943-08-01
Movie Gangway for Tomorrow Joe Dunham 1943-11-03
Movie The Ghost Breakers Intern (uncredited) 1940-06-21
Movie Free, Blonde and 21 Mike 1940-03-28
Movie Lillian Russell Owen 1940-05-24
Movie Queen of the Mob Jim 1940-06-28
Movie Golden Gloves Pete Wells 1940-08-02
Movie The Texas Rangers Ride Again Eddie (uncredited) 1940-12-13
Movie North West Mounted Police Constable Dumont 1940-10-22
Movie Illegal Traffic 1938-11-02
Movie Kid Galahad (uncredited) 1937-05-29
Movie Strong Boy Baggage Man 1929-03-03
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