Robert Bushnell Ryan, a renowned American actor and dedicated civil rights campaigner, was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Mable Arbutus (Bushnell),a secretary, and Timothy Aloysius Ryan, whose affluent family owned a real estate firm. His father had Irish ancestry, while his mother was of English and Irish descent.
Ryan's early life was marked by his service in the United States Marines, where he worked as a drill sergeant and won a boxing championship. He then transitioned to a successful acting career, becoming a prominent figure in post-World War II American Film Noir and western productions.
Ryan's critically acclaimed performances included his portrayal of an anti-Semitic bully in the 1947 film "Crossfire," an over-the-hill boxer who refuses to take a fall in "The Set-Up" (1949),and a hostile and jaded cop in "On Dangerous Ground" (1951). His athletic physique, intense gaze, and sharply delivered authoritarian tones made him an ideal actor for the oily world of the Film Noir genre, and he contributed solid performances to many Film Noir features, often playing the role of a vile villain.
Ryan's versatility as an actor was showcased in his roles in various films, including his portrayal of a worthy opponent for bounty hunter James Stewart in the Anthony Mann-directed western "The Naked Spur" (1953),his locking of horns with an intrepid investigator Spencer Tracy in the suspenseful "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955),and his starring role alongside Harry Belafonte in the grimy, gangster flick "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959). He also excelled as the ruthless "John Claggart" in Billy Budd (1962) and portrayed two different World War II US generals in "The Longest Day" (1962) and "Battle of the Bulge" (1965).
For the next eight years prior to his untimely death in 1973, Ryan landed some remarkable roles in a mix of productions, each showcasing his high-caliber acting skills and leaving a lasting impression on movie audiences. He was one of the hard men hired to pursue kidnapped Claudia Cardinale in the hard-boiled action of "The Professionals" (1966),a by-the-book army colonel clashing with highly unorthodox army major Lee Marvin in "The Dirty Dozen" (1967),and an embittered bounty hunter forced to hunt down old friend William Holden in the violent Sam Peckinpah western classic "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Ryan's final on-screen performance was in the terrific production of "The Iceman Cometh" (1973) based on the Eugene O'Neill play and also starring Lee Marvin and Fredric March.
According to legend, Sam Peckinpah clashed heatedly with Ryan during the making of "The Wild Bunch" (1969),but eventually backed down when a crew member reminded Peckinpah of Ryan's proficiency with his fists!
Primarily a man of pacifist beliefs, Ryan often found it challenging to play sadistic and racist characters who were at odds with his own personal ideals. Additionally, Ryan actively campaigned for improved civil rights, restricting the growth of nuclear weapons, and strongly opposed McCarthyism and its abuse of people who many believed were innocent. A gifted, intelligent, and powerful actor, Robert Ryan passed away on July 11th, 1973, due to lung cancer.
