Mitchell Ryan
Mitchell Ryan in 1973
Born(1934-01-11)January 11, 1934
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 4, 2022(2022-03-04) (aged 88)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1958–2022
SpouseBarbara Ryan
Children3

Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American actor. His six decades of television credits, he is 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.

Early life

Ryan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] His father was a salesman and his mother was a writer.[2] He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War.[1]

Career

A life member of the Actors Studio,[3] Ryan's Broadway theatre credits include Wait Until Dark, Medea, and The Price.[4] His off-Broadway credits include Antony and Cleopatra (1963) and The Price (1979).[5]

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,[6][7][8] 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).[9]

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)[9]: 316  and played Blake Simmons in the drama Julie Farr, M.D. (1978–79).[9]: 549 

Ryan portrayed Cooper Hawkins on the Western series The Chisholms (1980),[9]: 185–186  Sam Garrett on King's Crossing (1982)[9]: 567  Brennan Flannery on High Performance (1983),[9]: 459  Edward Wyler on Hot Pursuit (1984),[9]: 478  and Porter Tremont on 2000 Malibu Road (1992).[9]: 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.[10] 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).[9]: 256  The following year, Ryan voiced Highfather on Justice League.

He was the president of Screen Actors Guild Foundation.[11]

Personal life

Ryan married Lynda Morse in 1972.[12] He later had a wife, Barbara, 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.[13]

Filmography

References

  1. 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.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ "Mitchell Ryan". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Mitchell Ryan". Internet Off-Broadway Database. Lucille Lortel Foundation. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  6. ↑ "MItchell Ryan – The Fall Of A Sparrow". www.mitchellryan.net. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Stars of Dark Shadows: Where Are They Now? Mitchell Ryan". www.darkshadowsonline.com. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ 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
  9. 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.
  10. ↑ "Letters of Note: STAR TREK/Casting". Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ California Marriage Index 1960–1985; Ancestry.com
  13. ↑ "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.
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