Facts About Robert Ryan

Ryan was another excellent western star.

Robert RyanPhoto byCreative Commons: Ediciones Trilce

Robert Ryan pops up in a lot of westerns. Some of them are pretty big deals. Off the top of my head, The Wild Bunch, The Professionals, and Lawman come to mind. Ryan could play the good guy, or bad guy equally well.

Like so many other stars of the 50s, I see less and less of Ryan and really don’t know a whole lot about him. So, after some research on Ryan, here are some things you probably didn’t know about Robert Ryan.

1: Shortly before his death, Ryan leased his New York City apartment to John Lennon and Yoko Ono. After his death, his estate sold the apartment to him.

1: Ryan, like so many more, when introduced to Yoko said, “Ono.” Okay, that’s speculation on my part.

2: Ryan worked with John Wayne on a couple of occasions, though especially when doing, “The Longest Day,” it was difficult because of their differing political views.

Ryan really didn’t care for Wayne’s view of Hollywood’s blacklisting. I guess working with Wayne really did make for a long day.

3: He was a genuine tough guy. For four years he was a college boxing champion.

Which might be one of the reasons he didn’t get more flack for his political beliefs.

4: Ryan preformed Shakespeare, including “Anthony and Cleopatra.”

I believe he played Anthony.

5: Ryan had an interesting relationship with director Sam Peckinpah on the set of The Wild Bunch.

It got to the point to where it is reported that Ryan grabbed Peckinpah by the front of the shirt and said, ‘I’ll do anything you ask me to do in front of the camera, because I’m a professional. But you open your mouth to me off the set, and I’ll knock your teeth in.” Ryan was generally a pacificist, but apparently could fall off the wagon.

6: Robert had interesting take on doing TV. He said, “I might make a million or so in a series, but I’d wind up being ‘Sidewinder Sam’ for the rest of my life.”

Well, if he was offered the part of “Sidewinder Sam” he did well to turn it down.

7: He starred in a western called, “The Tall Men” with Clark Gable and Mickey Rooney.

Okay, Mickey Rooney wasn’t in the movie. I was just making sure you were paying attention.

8: Ryan went to college at Dartmouth and while he was there campaigned against Prohibition.

I expect his stance was pretty popular among college students.

9: Ryan played bad guy Reno Smith in “Bad Day at Black Rock.”

Bad ultimately doesn’t really describe the day Ryan/Reno Smith.

10: Ryan’s first TV appearance was as Abe Lincoln in Screen Director’s Playhouse adaptation of Christopher Morley’s story “Lincoln’s Doctor’s Dog.”

It sounds like Lincoln was the third leading character in that show behind Lincoln’s doctor and Lincoln’s doctor’s dog.