Background
Ryan was born on January 11, 1928, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. His father was a novelty salesman.
Actor Foundation administrator
Ryan was born on January 11, 1928, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. His father was a novelty salesman.
He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. After the Korean War, he went to the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. Ryan was an original cast member on the cult television soap opera Dark Shadows, playing Burke Devlin until he was fired from the show in June 1967 due to his alcoholism, and replaced by Anthony George.
He appeared in an episode of Cannon, "Fool"s Gold" in 1971, and in American Broadcasting Company"s The Streets of San Francisco episode "The Unicorn".
In 1973, he played the lead in the National Broadcasting Company adventure show Chase, with co-stars Wayne Maunder and Reid Smith. In 1976-1977, he portrayed the leading character on Executive Suite and worked with his future on-screen wife from Dharma & Greg, Susan Sullivan, in the short-lived series Julie Farr, Doctor of Medicine
In 1980, Ryan played wagon master Cooper Hawkins in the Columbia Broadcasting System western miniseries The Chisholms, taking a wagon train of pioneers to California during the 1840s, and becoming the de facto head of the Chisholm family after the death of patriarch Hadley Chisholm. Participant Deux playing senator Grey Edwards.
And in 1985, he portrayed Tillet Main, the patriarch of the Main family in the first North and South miniseries.
(Ryan had earlier been considered for the part of series lead Captain Jean-Luc Picard) He also portrayed the roles of the abusive boyfriend of Blanche Deveraux in The Golden Girls and a police officer in a 1993 episode of New York City Police Department Blue. That same year, Ryan was Dallas Shields in Renegade. In 1994, Ryan appeared in the television movie, Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is, and in 1995, he appeared in Judge Dredd and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.
He played the role of Greg"s father Edward Montgomery on the show Dharma & Greg, which ran from 1997 to 2002.
The following year, Ryan voiced Highfather on Justice League. He was the Screen Actors Guild Foundation President.
A life member of The Actors Studio, Ryan"s Broadway theatre credits include Wait Until Dark, Medea, and The Price.
Married; 3 children.