Robert Ryan

Originally intended to portray "Commodore Matt Decker" in the "Star Trek" (the original series) episode "Doomsday Machine", but was unable to do so. The character was intended as a Captain Ahab-type, obsessed with revenge for the loss of his crew. The role instead went to William Windom who portrayed Decker in a more tragic, sensitive light.

Initially planned on studying at the Pasadena Playhouse, but instead became a student of Max Reinhardt in the late 1930s, where he met fellow student and future wife Jessica Cadwalader. Following their marriage, she gave up her acting aspirations and later became a childrens fiction-book writer.

While performing in a stock play version of "A Kiss for Cinderella" in 1941 with actress Luise Rainer , Rainers ex-husband, Clifford Odets , saw him and offered him the featured juvenile part in his Broadway play "Clash by Night" as "Joe Doyle", opposite Tallulah Bankhead. A decade later he starred in the film version but had outgrown the juvenile role and instead played Earl Pfeiffer, one of the leads, originated on Broadway by Joseph Schildkraut. His "Joe Doyle" character was played by Keith Andes in the film Clash by Night (1952) .

In 1973, he played the terminally-ill political activist Larry Slade in The Iceman Cometh . Ironically, while filming, he knew he was approaching the final stages of lung cancer and died in July of that year. His wife Jessica had died just the year before, also succumbing to cancer.

Due to his towering frame, cruelly-lined face and a simmering intensity uncommon in his generation of "tough guys", he usually played hateful villains. Even on the rare occasions that he played a good guy, they often possessed a violent, obsessive personality that was a tad unsettling.

Two sons, Walker (born April 13, 1946) and Cheyney (born March 10, 1948), and a daughter, Lisa (born September 10, 1951).

At the time he was diagnosed with cancer, he was scheduled to play "Don Quixote" in a film version of Miguel Cervantes novel. It was Rex Harrison , however, who was finally seen as the Don in a 1973 made-for-television film of the book, a year after Peter OToole had starred in the film version ( Man of La Mancha ) of the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha".

Shortly before his death, Ryan moved out of his apartment (number 72) at the Dakota in New York City. Ryan leased (and then his estate later sold) the apartment to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Co-founded the Theatre Group at the University of California at Los Angeles with John Houseman and Sidney Harmon in 1959. Nine years later in 1968 he co-founded the Plumstead Playhouse Repertory Company, with Henry Fonda and Martha Scott.

Was Turner Classic Movies "Star of the Month" for February 2000, a rare honor for a character lead/supporting player.

Served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1944 to 1947.

When casting the leading man role in the 1943 Ginger Rogers vehicle Tender Comrade , RKO producer David Hempstead became interested in Ryan due to favorable preview cards hailing Ryans performances in Bombardier , The Skys the Limit (1943/I) and Behind the Rising Sun . He suggested him to Rogers, who was at first unimpressed after screening parts of the three movies. She turned him down as her leading man, as she thought he looked mean and, at 64", too big. A week later, when Rogers visited Hempstead at his office, he was busily going through preview cards of "The Skys the Limit" and showed her some of them. Rogers saw that all the reviews of Ryans performance were favorable and, since principal production was drawing near, she decided to have another look at him. Ryan was conveniently waiting in a nearby office for just such a possibility. Less than a minute later he came to the office and talked with both the producer and Rogers. After a few moments, she unobtrusively slipped Hempstead a note: "I think this is the guy." Today, the note hangs on the wall above Cheyney Ryans (Ryans son) desk in his study.

Campaigned for Eugene McCarthy in the 1968 Democratic primaries.

At Dartmouth College, Ryan was on the boxing team and posted a 5-0 (3 knockouts) record. He also worked on the campus newspaper, and campaigned against Prohibition.

Ryan managed to get along with John Wayne while filming Flying Leathernecks , although he was appalled by Waynes active support for blacklisting in Hollywood. However the two stars did not get along at all while filming The Longest Day .

He was a founder of SANE (an anti-nuclear action group) and a vocal supporter of the blacklisted Hollywood Ten during the 1950s.

His Shakespearean roles included "Antony and Cleopatra" with Katharine Hepburn in 1960, and the title role of "Othello" at the Nottingham Playhouse in England, also in the 60s.

Shortly before his death from lung cancer at the age of sixty-three, Ryan publicly denounced his heavy use of cigarettes as the cause of his illness.

He was considered for Stephen Boyd s role as Messala in Ben-Hur .

His son, Cheyney C. Ryan, is a Research Fellow at Oxford University and a professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of Oregon. As a Harvard undergraduate, he was expelled due to his fervent activism in the civil rights and anti-war movements.

When he was 26, his father died after being hit by a car.

When he was eight years old, his younger brother died from the flu.

He has three grandchildren, Tammy, Lisa, and Jeff from his son Cheyney.

Actors Jeff Bridges and Kris Kristofferson have both cited Ryan as their favorite actor.

His granddaughter Katharine, by his son, Walker, is a research associate at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. She was named after her godmother, Katharine Hepburn.

A close friend of Lee Marvin.

Roberts paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, from Thurles, County Tipperary. Roberts mother was of English and Irish descent, partly by way of Canada, and had deep Colonial American roots.

According to his RKO biography, Ryan worked as a sandhog, seaman, sewer builder, salesman, miner, cowboy, bodyguard-chauffeur to a mobster, photographers model, W.P.A. laborer and paving supervisor.

Helped start Oakwood, a prestigious Los Angeles school.

Near the end of World War II, Ryan met fellow Marine Richard Brooks in the library of Camp Pendleton. Brooks had just had his first novel, The Brick Foxhole published, and Ryan told him he was an actor who was determined to play the role of the villain if a movie version were ever made. Ryan insisted, I know that son of a bitch. No one knows him better than I do. Two years later, outside the theater where Crossfire had just previewed, actor Ryan--who had indeed played the role of Montgomery which he had once sought--was able to ask writer Brooks, What do you think?.

(August 2011) New York City, NY, USA: Film Forum screening a series of two dozen Ryan movies.

Jeff Bridges said he learned a lot about acting from working with Ryan when they appear together in The Iceman Cometh .

In an interview on "Scene by Scene" , Jeff Bridges tells an anecdote about Ryan during the filming of The Iceman Cometh . The young Bridges noticed that a pool of sweat had formed under Ryans hand as it rested on a table, and realized that despite his granite demeanor, the veteran star was nervous that they were about to go for a take. When Bridges asked him about this, he replied, Id really be scared if I wasnt scared.

His funeral was held on July 16, 1973 at Blessed Sacrament Church on 71st Street in Manhattan. Jason Robards, Myrna Loy, Dore Schary and John McGiver attended the service.

Was reportedly a candidate for the role of Samson in Samson and Delilah .

Was planning on marrying Maureen OSulllivan before he passed away.

At Darmouth he pledged Psi Upsilon where one of his fraternity brothers was Nelson Rockefeller.

Was a freshman at Darmouth when Joseph Losey was a senior.

Attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois for high school, class of 1927, where he was an All-City tackle his senior year, playing football for all four years.

Attended the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago where he served as a McCarthy delegate. He was able to wrangle a floor pass for his anti-war activist son Cheyney because of his friendship with Joan Crawford who served on the board of the Pepsi-Cola Company through a company representative who passed on greetings from her.

At the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego he acted in Petticoat Fever during the Summer of 1949 returning in July 1950 to appear in Garson Kanins Born Yesterday.

In the Summer of 1941 he acted at the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts where he appeared in J.M. Barries A Kiss For Cinderella opposite Luise Rainer.

Married his wife Jessica Cadawalader on March 11, 1939 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in West Hollywood.

In June 1941 at the Millpond Playhouse in Roslyn, Long Island he acted in the plays The Barker and Petticoat Fever with his wife Jessica Cadawalder. He also acted in Angel Comedy with Cameron Mitchell before ending his engagement by appearing in William Saroyans TheTime Of Your Life.

He was one of the narrators at the Carnegie Hall 1968 concert honoring Woody Guthrie. He can be heard on the album "A tribute to Woody Guthrie".

Retired in 2008.

U.S. Ambassador to Niger (1964-1968).