About
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,...
Known for
Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreSeries • 1956
Kraft Suspense TheatreSeries • 1963
Alcoa TheatreSeries • 1957
The Longest DayMovie • 1962
The Dirty DozenMovie • 1967
The ProfessionalsMovie • 1966
The Wild BunchMovie • 1969
Battle of the BulgeMovie • 1965
Bad Day at Black RockMovie • 1955
The Ghost BreakersMovie • 1940
King of KingsMovie • 1961
AnzioMovie • 1968
The OutfitMovie • 1973
The Tall MenMovie • 1955
Clash by NightMovie • 1952
Hour of the GunMovie • 1967
House of BambooMovie • 1955
Custer of the WestMovie • 1967
LawmanMovie • 1971
The RacketMovie • 1951
The Naked SpurMovie • 1953
The Set-UpMovie • 1949
The Boy with Green HairMovie • 1948
Captain Nemo and the Underwater CityMovie • 1969