Robert Ryan
| Robert Ryan | |
|---|---|
Ryan in Marine Raiders (1944).
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| Born |
Robert Bushnell Ryan November 11, 1909 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | July 11, 1973 (aged 63) New York City, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Years active | 1940–73 |
| Spouse(s) | Jessica Cadwalader (1939–72; her death) |
| Children | Cheyney C. Ryan (b. 1948) Timothy Ryan (b. 1946) Lisa Ryan (b. 1951) |
Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor who most often portrayed hardened cops and ruthless villains.
Ryan was born in Chicago, Illinois, the first child of Mable Arbutus (Bushnell), a secretary, and Timothy Aloysius Ryan, who was from a wealthy family that owned a real estate firm. He was of Irish (paternal grandparents from Thurles) and English descent. Ryan was raised Catholic and educated at Loyola Academy. 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 was forced to start acting in order to support himself. He studied acting in Hollywood and appeared on stage and in small film parts during the early 1940s, beginning with The Ghost Breakers and Queen of the Mob, both for Paramount Pictures in 1940.
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, located between Oceanside and San Clemente in Southern 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.
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