Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0752813
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q350680
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Filmography (Movies)
A New Dimension in Noir: Filming Inferno in 3D
Character:Self
Release Date:16/05/2017
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:25/07/2004
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Character:Sandy Dawson (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:02/07/2002
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:12/05/1997
Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:15/07/1991
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:09/03/1986
The Iceman Cometh
Character:Larry Slade
Release Date:10/11/1973
Executive Action
Character:Foster
Release Date:07/11/1973
The Outfit
Character:Mailer
Release Date:19/10/1973
The Man Without a Country
Character:Lt. Cmdr. Vaughan
Release Date:24/04/1973
Lolly-Madonna XXX
Character:Pap Gutshall
Release Date:21/02/1973
The Moviemakers
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1973
And Hope to Die
Character:Charley
Release Date:15/09/1972
The Love Machine
Character:Gregory 'Greg' Austin
Release Date:14/08/1971
Lawman
Character:Sabbath Marshal Cotton Ryan
Release Date:11/03/1971
The Reason Why
Character:Roger
Release Date:02/01/1970
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City
Character:Captain Nemo
Release Date:01/12/1969
Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:30/11/1969
The Wild Bunch
Character:Deke Thornton
Release Date:19/06/1969
Anzio
Character:Gen. Carson
Release Date:24/07/1968
A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die
Character:New Mexico Gov. Lem Carter
Release Date:08/02/1968
Custer of the West
Character:Mulligan
Release Date:09/11/1967
Hour of the Gun
Character:Ike Clanton
Release Date:01/11/1967
The Dirty Dozen
Character:Col. Everett Dasher Breed
Release Date:15/06/1967
The Busy Body
Character:Charley Barker
Release Date:12/03/1967
The Professionals
Character:Ehrengard
Release Date:01/11/1966
Battle of the Bulge
Character:General Grey
Release Date:16/12/1965
The Dirty Game
Character:General Bruce
Release Date:23/06/1965
The Crooked Road
Character:Richard Ashley
Release Date:03/02/1965
The Inheritance
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:08/11/1964
A Regular Bouquet: Mississippi Summer
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:13/04/1964
Billy Budd
Character:John Claggart, Master of Arms
Release Date:12/11/1962
The Longest Day
Character:Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin
Release Date:25/09/1962
King of Kings
Character:John the Baptist
Release Date:11/10/1961
The Canadians
Character:Inspector William Gannon
Release Date:11/03/1961
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Character:Harry Walters
Release Date:25/03/1960
Ice Palace
Character:Thor Storm
Release Date:02/01/1960
Odds Against Tomorrow
Character:Earle Slater
Release Date:15/10/1959
Day of the Outlaw
Character:Blaise Starrett
Release Date:14/05/1959
Lonelyhearts
Character:William Shrike
Release Date:04/03/1959
God's Little Acre
Character:Ty Ty Walden
Release Date:23/09/1958
The Great Gatsby
Character:Jay Gatsby
Release Date:26/06/1958
Men in War
Character:Lt. Benson
Release Date:03/05/1957
Back from Eternity
Character:Bill Lonagan
Release Date:07/09/1956
The Proud Ones
Character:Marshal Cass Silver
Release Date:15/05/1956
The House Without a Name
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1956
The Tall Men
Character:Nathan Stark
Release Date:22/09/1955
House of Bamboo
Character:Sandy Dawson
Release Date:01/07/1955
Escape to Burma
Character:Jim Brecan
Release Date:09/04/1955
Bad Day at Black Rock
Character:Reno Smith
Release Date:13/01/1955
Her Twelve Men
Character:Joe Hargrave
Release Date:11/08/1954
About Mrs. Leslie
Character:George Leslie
Release Date:03/08/1954
Alaska Seas
Character:Matt Kelly
Release Date:27/01/1954
Inferno
Character:Donald Whitley Carson III
Release Date:12/08/1953
City Beneath the Sea
Character:Brad Carlton
Release Date:21/04/1953
The Naked Spur
Character:Ben Vandergroat
Release Date:29/01/1953
Horizons West
Character:Dan Hammond
Release Date:11/10/1952
Beware, My Lovely
Character:Howard Wilton
Release Date:29/08/1952
Clash by Night
Character:Earl Pfeiffer
Release Date:30/05/1952
On Dangerous Ground
Character:Jim Wilson
Release Date:13/12/1951
The Racket
Character:Nick Scanlon
Release Date:25/10/1951
Flying Leathernecks
Character:Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin
Release Date:28/08/1951
Best of the Badmen
Character:Jeff Clanton
Release Date:09/08/1951
Hard, Fast and Beautiful
Character:Seabright Tennis Match Spectator (uncredited)
Release Date:23/05/1951
Born to Be Bad
Character:Nick Bradley
Release Date:28/09/1950
The Woman on Pier 13
Character:Bradley Collins / Frank Johnson
Release Date:15/06/1950
The Secret Fury
Character:David McLean
Release Date:21/02/1950
The Set-Up
Character:Stoker
Release Date:29/03/1949
Caught
Character:Smith Ohlrig
Release Date:17/02/1949
Act of Violence
Character:Joe Parkson
Release Date:22/01/1949
The Boy with Green Hair
Character:Dr. Evans
Release Date:26/11/1948
Return of the Bad Men
Character:Sundance Kid
Release Date:17/07/1948
Berlin Express
Character:Robert Lindley
Release Date:01/05/1948
Crossfire
Character:Montgomery
Release Date:15/08/1947
The Woman on the Beach
Character:Scott Burnett
Release Date:07/06/1947
Trail Street
Character:Allen Harper
Release Date:19/02/1947
The Notorious Lone Wolf
Character:Plainclothesman (uncredited)
Release Date:14/02/1946
Marine Raiders
Character:Capt. Dan Craig
Release Date:11/07/1944
Tender Comrade
Character:Chris Jones
Release Date:30/05/1944
Gangway for Tomorrow
Character:Joe Dunham
Release Date:03/11/1943
The Iron Major
Character:Father Timothy 'Tim' Donovan
Release Date:31/10/1943
Behind the Rising Sun
Character:Lefty O'Doyle
Release Date:01/08/1943
The Sky's the Limit
Character:Reginald Fenton
Release Date:13/07/1943
Bombardier
Character:Joe Connors
Release Date:14/05/1943
The Texas Rangers Ride Again
Character:Eddie (uncredited)
Release Date:13/12/1940
North West Mounted Police
Character:Constable Dumont
Release Date:22/10/1940
Golden Gloves
Character:Pete Wells
Release Date:02/08/1940
Queen of the Mob
Character:Jim
Release Date:28/06/1940
The Ghost Breakers
Character:Intern (uncredited)
Release Date:21/06/1940
Television Appearances
World War One
Character:Narrator
World War I: The Complete Story
Character:Narrator
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Character:Thomas Bollington
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Character:
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Self
The David Susskind Show
Character:Self
Alcoa Theatre
Character:Trilbridge
Alcoa Theatre
Character:Mike Ripetti
Goodyear Theatre
Character:Frank Berry
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Matt Jessop
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Cob Oakley
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Sheriff Amos Parney
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Character:Captain William Kraig
The Steve Allen Show
Character:Self
The Oscars
Character:Self
What's My Line?
Character:Self - Mystery Guest
What's My Line?
Character:Self
Images
