Mitchell Ryan

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Mitchell Ryan
Mitchell Ryan 1973.JPG
Mitchell Ryan in 1973
Born(1934-01-11)January 11, 1934
DiedMarch 4, 2022(2022-03-04) (aged 88)
OccupationActor
Years active1958–2022
Spouse
Lynda Morse
(m. 1972;div. 1982)
Barbara Albertine
(m. 1998)
Children3

Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 [1] – March 4, 2022) was an American actor. His six decades of television credits, he is best known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows , and later for his co-starring role as Thomas Gibson's father Edward Montgomery on Dharma & Greg . He also played the villainous General Peter McAllister in the 1987 buddy cop action film Lethal Weapon.

Contents

Early life

Ryan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. [2] His father was a salesman and his mother was a writer. [3] He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. [2]

Career

A life member of the Actors Studio, [4] Ryan's Broadway theatre credits include Wait Until Dark , Medea , and The Price . [5] His off-Broadway credits include Antony and Cleopatra (1963) and The Price (1979). [6]

Ryan was an original cast member of the cult TV soap opera Dark Shadows, playing Burke Devlin until he was dismissed from the show in June 1967 due to his alcoholism, [7] [8] [9] and replaced by Anthony George.

In 1970, Ryan was in one episode of The High Chaparral as a character named Jelks, who was on the run from the law.

He appeared in an episode of Cannon , "Fool's Gold" in 1971, and in ABC's The Streets of San Francisco episode "The Unicorn". He portrayed the title character, Chase Reddick, on the crime drama Chase (1973–74). [10]

Mitchell Ryan in Chase Mitchell Ryan Chase 1973.JPG
Mitchell Ryan in Chase

In 1975, Ryan played in Barnaby Jones , in the episode titled "Counterfall". He portrayed the leading character, Dan Walling, on Executive Suite (1976–77) [10] :316 and played Blake Simmons in the drama Julie Farr, M.D. (1978–79). [10] :549

Ryan portrayed Cooper Hawkins on the Western series The Chisholms (1980), [10] :185–186 Sam Garrett on King's Crossing (1982) [10] :567 Brennan Flannery on High Performance (1983), [10] :459 Edward Wyler on Hot Pursuit (1984), [10] :478 and Porter Tremont on 2000 Malibu Road (1992). [10] :1122–1123

His other acting credits include the films Liar Liar ; Magnum Force playing as Dirty Harry's ill-fated despondent best friend and fellow police officer, a motorcycle patrolman named Charlie McCoy; Lethal Weapon playing the key villain General Peter McAllister; Grosse Pointe Blank ; Electra Glide in Blue ; and Hot Shots! Part Deux , playing Senator Grey Edwards. In 1985, he portrayed Tillet Main, the patriarch of the Main family in the first North and South miniseries. In 1991, he played Ellis Blake in the sixth season Matlock episode "The Foursome".

Ryan appeared in NBC's The A-Team ; he played Ike Hagan, as Grant Everett in a two-part Silk Stalkings episode; and as Kyle Riker, the father of Commander William Riker, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Icarus Factor"; Ryan had been considered for the part of series lead Captain Jean-Luc Picard. [11] He also portrayed the roles of the abusive boyfriend of Blanche Devereaux, Rex Huntington, in The Golden Girls episode "The Bloom is off the Rose", and a police officer in a 1993 episode of NYPD Blue . The same year, Ryan was Dallas Shields in Renegade . He appeared in the 1983 episode of Hart to Hart 'Highland Fling'. In 1994, he appeared again in Hart to Hart in one of the made-for-TV movies, "Home Is Where the Hart Is". In 1995, he appeared in the films Judge Dredd and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers as Dr. Terence Wynn (played by Robert Phalen in the original Halloween film).

He played the role of Greg's father, Edward Montgomery, on the comedy Dharma & Greg (1997–2002). [10] :256 The following year, Ryan voiced Highfather on Justice League .

He was the president of Screen Actors Guild Foundation. [12]

Personal life

Mitch Ryan married Lynda Morse in 1972 and they had a son. [13] Ryan married Barbara Albertine in 1998, and they had two children and five grandchildren. Ryan died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, California, on March 4, 2022, at the age of 88. [14]

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1966–1967 Dark Shadows Burke Devlin107 episodes
1981 Death of a Centerfold Hugh Hefner Television film
1983 Hart to Hart Ramsey MacLeishEpisode: "Highland Fling"
1985 The A-Team Ike HagenEpisode: "Waste 'Em!"
1985 Murder, She Wrote Ray DixonEpisode: "Capitol Offense”
1985 North and South Tillet Main6 episodes
1986 Penalty Phase Donald FaulknerTelevision film
1989 Mission: Impossible Edgar SheppardEpisode: "Submarine"
1989 Star Trek: The Next Generation Kyle RikerEpisode: "The Icarus Factor"
1989 Santa Barbara Anthony Tonell36 episodes
1990 L.A. Law Duncan YoungEpisode: "Smoke Gets In Your Thighs"
1991 The Golden Girls RexEpisode: "The Bloom is Off the Rose"
1991 Murder, She Wrote Arthur ProutyEpisode: "The List of Uri Lermintov"
1991 In a Child's Name Peter Chappell2 episodes
1994 Walker, Texas Ranger Judge RileyEpisode: "The Committee"
1997–2002 Dharma & Greg Edward Montgomery119 episodes
2003 Justice League Highfather (voice)Episode: "Twilight" [15]

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1958 Thunder Road Jed MoultrieUncredited
1970 Monte Walsh Shorty Austin
1971 My Old Man's Place Martin Flood
1971 The Hunting Party Doc Harrison
1971 Chandler Chuck Kincaid
1972 The Honkers Lowell
1972 A Reflection of Fear Inspector McKenna
1973 High Plains Drifter Dave Drake
1973 The Friends of Eddie Coyle Waters
1973 Electra Glide in Blue Harvey Poole
1973 Magnum Force Charlie McCoy
1976 Midway Aubrey Fitch Uncredited
1976 Two-Minute Warning Priest
1977 Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A. Matthew Sullivan
1987 Lethal Weapon Peter McCallister
1989 Winter People Drury Campbell
1992 Aces: Iron Eagle III General Simms
1992 The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them Kenneth Davenport
1993 Hot Shots! Part Deux Gray Edwards
1994 Blue Sky Ray Stevens
1994 Speechless Lloyd Wannamaker
1995 Judge Dredd Vartis Hammond
1995 Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Terrence Wynn
1996 Ed Abe Woods
1997 The Devil's Own Jim Kelly
1997 Liar Liar Mr. Allan
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Bart Newberry
2005 Love for Rent DoctorUncredited

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Alexander</span> American actor (born 1959)

Jay Scott Greenspan, known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe Awards. He gained stardom for his role as George Costanza in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series and was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor in Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Frakes</span> American actor and director (born 1952)

Jonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of William Riker in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequent films and series. He has also hosted the anthology series Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, voiced David Xanatos in the Disney television series Gargoyles, and narrated the History Channel documentary, Lee and Grant. He is the credited author of the novel The Abductors: Conspiracy, which was ghostwritten by Dean Wesley Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Waterston</span> American actor (born 1940)

Samuel Atkinson Waterston is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television, and film. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and a BAFTA Award. His acting career has spanned over five decades acting on stage and screen. Waterston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2012.

<i>Lethal Weapon</i> 1987 American film directed by Richard Donner

Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love, and Mitchell Ryan. In Lethal Weapon, a pair of mismatched LAPD detectives—Martin Riggs (Gibson), a former Green Beret who has become suicidal following the death of his wife, and veteran officer and family man Roger Murtaugh (Glover)—work together as partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Garber</span> Canadian actor (born 1949)

Victor Garber, is a Canadian stage and film actor and singer. Known for his work on stage and screen, he has been nominated for three Gemini Awards, four Tony Awards, and six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2022, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Root</span> American actor (born 1951)

Stephen Root is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the film Office Space (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated series King of the Hill (1997–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Gibson</span> American actor and director (born 1962)

Thomas Gibson is an American actor and director. He is best known for his television roles as Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds (2005–2016), Greg Montgomery on Dharma & Greg (1997–2002) and Daniel Nyland on Chicago Hope (1994–1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Sullivan</span> American actress

Susan Sullivan is an American actress known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World (1971–76), as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom It's a Living (1980–81), as Maggie Gioberti Channing on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–90), as Kitty Montgomery on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), and as Martha Rodgers on Castle (2009–2016). She earned an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress for the role of Julie Farr in the 1978 series Julie Farr, M.D. and a Golden Globe nomination for Supporting Actress for her role in Dharma & Greg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Rolston</span> American actor

Mark Rolston is an American character actor, known for his supporting roles in such films as Aliens, Lethal Weapon 2, Prancer, The Shawshank Redemption, Rush Hour, The Departed, and the Saw film series, as well as Gordie Liman in The Shield (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xander Berkeley</span> American actor (born 1955)

Alexander Harper Berkeley is an American actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His films include Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Candyman (1992), Barb Wire (1996), Air Force One (1997), Gattaca (1997), and Shanghai Noon (2000). He also appeared in the crime dramas L.A. Takedown (1989) and its remake Heat (1995), although he played a different character in each film. On television, he headlined the Citytv psychological thriller The Booth at the End (2010–2012) and was a series regular on the Fox action drama 24 (2001–2003) and The CW action thriller Nikita (2010–2012). As a guest star, Berkeley portrayed Sheriff Thomas McAllister on the CBS drama The Mentalist (2008–2013) and Gregory on the AMC post-apocalyptic horror The Walking Dead (2016–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony George</span> American actor (1921–2005)

Anthony George was an American actor mostly seen on television. He is best known for roles of Don Corey on Checkmate, Burke Devlin and Jeremiah Collins on Dark Shadows, as Dr. Tony Vincente on Search for Tomorrow, and Dr. Will Vernon on One Life to Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Rachins</span> American actor (1942–2024)

Alan L. Rachins was an American actor, known for his role as Douglas Brackman in L.A. Law which earned him both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, and his portrayal of Larry on the television series Dharma & Greg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Howard</span> American actor (1944–2016)

Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 (1972) and as high school basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow (1978–1981). Howard won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1970 for his performance in Child's Play, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his work in Grey Gardens (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Patrick</span> American actor (1918–2002)

Dennis Patrick was an American character actor, primarily in television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Coe</span> American actor (1929–2015)

George Coe was an American actor. He was a cast member for the first season of Saturday Night Live and voiced the character of Woodhouse in Archer.

Richard Joseph Libertini was an American stage, film and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Sommer</span> American actor (born 1978)

Rich Sommer is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Harry Crane on the AMC drama series Mad Men (2007–2015) for which he earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards along with the ensemble cast. He is also known for his roles in the comedy-drama films The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012), The Giant Mechanical Man (2012), Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015), and BlackBerry (2023) as well as voicing Henry in the 2016 video game Firewatch. He guest starred in a number of Elementary episodes. More recently, he portrayed Detective Dean Riley in The CW crime drama television series In the Dark (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Mitchell (actor)</span> American actor (1905–1972)

George Mitchell was an American actor who performed from 1935 through 1971 in film, television, and on Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Mackenzie</span> American television director and actor (born 1938)

Will Mackenzie is an American television director and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Melamed</span> American actor (born 1956)

Fred Melamed is an American actor. After spending most of his early career primarily as a renowned voice over artist, and occasionally playing small roles in films, notably in seven films directed by Woody Allen, he established himself as a character actor, with his role as Sy Ableman in the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man (2009). Other notable film credits have included In a World... (2012), Hail, Caesar! (2016), and Shiva Baby (2020).

References

  1. Bio
  2. 1 2 "'Chase' – Jack Webb's Newest Dramatic Series". Sunday News. Pennsylvania, Lancaster. September 30, 1973. p. 62. Retrieved May 31, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Medina, Eduardo (March 5, 2022). "Mitchell Ryan, Who Played the Villain in 'Lethal Weapon,' Dies at 88". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  4. Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio . New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p.  279. ISBN   0-02-542650-8.
  5. "Mitchell Ryan". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  6. "Mitchell Ryan". Internet Off-Broadway Database. Lucille Lortel Foundation. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  7. "MItchell Ryan – The Fall Of A Sparrow". www.mitchellryan.net. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. "The Stars of Dark Shadows: Where Are They Now? Mitchell Ryan". www.darkshadowsonline.com. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  9. Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows, Craig Hamrick & R. J. Jamison: Ryan is quoted as saying "I was so drunk that year, I barely remember what it was about" in a 1976 TV Guide interview
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 180. ISBN   978-0-7864-6477-7.
  11. "Letters of Note: STAR TREK/Casting" . Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  12. "Screen Actors Guild Foundation Launches Storyline Online II". Screen Actors Guild. June 21, 2003. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  13. California Marriage Index 1960–1985; Ancestry.com
  14. "Mitchell Ryan, Actor in 'Lethal Weapon' and 'Dharma & Greg,' Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter . March 5, 2022. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  15. "Mitchell Ryan (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 30, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.