Skip to content
MovieCove
Robert Ryan

Robert Ryan

Actor · Died July 11, 1973, aged 63 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American  actor who often played hardened cops and ruthless villains. Ryan was born in Chicago, Illinois, the first child of Timothy Ryan and his wife Mabel Bushnell Ryan.  He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1932, having held the school's heavyweight boxing title all four years of his attendance. After graduation, the 6'4" Ryan found employment as a stoker on a ship, a WPA worker, and a ranch hand in Montana. Ryan attempted to make a career in show business as a playwright, but had to turn to acting to support himself. He studied acting in Hollywood and appeared on stage and in small film parts during the early 1940s. In January 1944, after securing a contract guarantee from RKO Radio Pictures, Ryan enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a drill instructor at Camp Pendleton, in San Diego, California. At Camp Pendleton, he befriended writer and future director Richard Brooks, whose novel, The Brick Foxhole, he greatly admired. He also took up painting. Ryan's breakthrough film role was as an anti-Semitic killer in Crossfire (1947), a film noir based on Brooks's novel. The role won Ryan his sole career Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. From then on, Ryan's specialty was tough/tender roles, finding particular expression in the films of directors such as Nicholas Ray, Robert Wise and Sam Fuller. In Ray's On Dangerous Ground (1951) he portrayed a burnt-out city cop finding redemption while solving a rural murder. In Wise's The Set-Up (1949), he played an over-the-hill boxer who is brutally punished for refusing to take a dive. Other important films were Anthony Mann's western The Naked Spur, Sam Fuller's uproarious Japanese set gangland thriller House of Bamboo, Bad Day at Black Rock, and the socially conscious heist movie Odds Against Tomorrow. He also appeared in several all-star war films, including The Longest Day (1962) and Battle of the Bulge (1965), and The Dirty Dozen. He also played John the Baptist in MGM's Technicolor epic King of Kings (1961) and was the villainous Claggart in Peter Ustinov's adaptation of Billy Budd (1962). In his later years, Ryan continued playing significant roles in major films. Most notable of these were The Dirty Dozen, The Professionals (1966) and Sam Peckinpah's highly influential brutal western The Wild Bunch (1969). Ryan appeared several times on the Broadway stage. His credits there include Clash by Night, Mr. President and The Front Page, the comedy drama about newspapermen. He appeared in many television series as a guest star, including the role of Franklin Hoppy-Hopp in the 1964 episode "Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree?" on the NBC medical drama about psychiatry, The Eleventh Hour. Similarly, he guest starred as Lloyd Osment in the 1964 episode "Better Than a Dead Lion" in the ABC psychiatric series, Breaking Point. In 1964, Ryan appeared with Warren Oates in the episode "No Comment" of CBS's short-lived drama about newspapers, The Reporter, starring Harry Guardino in the title role of journalist Danny Taylor. Ryan appeared five times (1956–1959) on CBS's Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater and twice (1959 and 1961) on the Zane Grey spin-off Frontier Justice. He appeared three times (1962–1964) on the western Wagon Train.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 11, 1909
Died
July 11, 1973 (aged 63)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
58 on MovieCove · 88 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 26% in 30 days

What are Robert Ryan's films like?

Across their 50 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
39%
Survival
15%
Bonds
15%
Self
13%
Power
10%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Justice15 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty10 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty9 titles, browse their movies with this themeWar6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 50 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 13 · Dark 32

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 24 · Stylized 23 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 23 · Intense 24

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 29 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 42 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 35 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 33 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 11 · Affecting 21 · Heavy 18

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 37 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

45 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 16 of 45 analyzed roles.

Shadow
16 of 45
Hero
14 of 45
Mentor
7 of 45
Ally
5 of 45
Shapeshifter
2 of 45
Threshold guardian
1 of 45
Show the 45 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
47
Melancholic
22
Dread
14
Thrilling
12
Contemplative
12
Other
23

How their films linger

Bittersweet22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet32
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Robert Ryan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 58 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Ryan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

88 credits, 58 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller(2002)

    as Sandy Dawson (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Iceman Cometh(1973)

    as Larry Slade

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Executive Action(1973)

    as Foster

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Outfit(1973)

    as Mailer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Man Without a Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Lt. Cmdr. Vaughan

  • Lolly-Madonna XXX(1973)

    as Pap Gutshall

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • ...And Hope to Die(1972)

    as Charley

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Love Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Gregory 'Greg' Austin

  • Lawman(1971)

    as Sabbath Marshal Cotton Ryan

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Reason Why (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Roger

  • Captain Nemo and the Underwater City(1969)

    as Captain Nemo

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Wild Bunch(1969)

    as Deke Thornton

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Anzio(1968)

    as Gen. Carson

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die(1967)

    as New Mexico Gov. Lem Carter

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Custer of the West(1967)

    as Mulligan

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Hour of the Gun(1967)

    as Ike Clanton

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Dirty Dozen(1967)

    as Col. Everett Dasher Breed

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Busy Body(1967)

    as Charley Barker

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Professionals(1966)

    as Ehrengard

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Battle of the Bulge(1965)

    as General Grey

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Agents(1965)

    as General Bruce

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Crooked Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Richard Ashley

  • The Inheritance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • World War One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 26 episodes · as Narrator

  • World War I: The Complete Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 27 episodes · as Narrator

  • A Regular Bouquet: Mississippi Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Thomas Bollington

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Billy Budd(1962)

    as John Claggart, Master of Arms

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Longest Day(1962)

    as Brig. Gen. James M. Gavin

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • King of Kings(1961)

    as John the Baptist

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Canadians (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Inspector William Gannon

  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Harry Walters

  • Ice Palace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Thor Storm

  • Odds Against Tomorrow(1959)

    as Earle Slater

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Day of the Outlaw(1959)

    as Blaise Starrett

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Lonelyhearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as William Shrike

  • God's Little Acre(1958)

    as Ty Ty Walden

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Great Gatsby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Jay Gatsby

  • Alcoa Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Mike Ripetti · as Trilbridge

  • Goodyear Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Frank Berry

  • Men in War(1957)

    as Lt. Benson

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 2 episodes · as Captain William Kraig · as Cob Oakley · as Matt Jessop · as Sheriff Amos Parney

  • Back from Eternity(1956)

    as Bill Lonagan

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Proud Ones(1956)

    as Marshal Cass Silver

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The House Without a Name (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Fernand Fox

  • The Tall Men(1955)

    as Nathan Stark

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • House of Bamboo(1955)

    as Sandy Dawson

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Escape to Burma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Jim Brecan

  • Bad Day at Black Rock(1955)

    as Reno Smith

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Her Twelve Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Joe Hargrave

  • About Mrs. Leslie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as George Leslie

  • Alaska Seas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Matt Kelly

  • Inferno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Donald Whitley Carson III

  • City Beneath the Sea(1953)

    as Brad Carlton

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Naked Spur(1953)

    as Ben Vandergroat

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Horizons West(1952)

    as Dan Hammond

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Beware, My Lovely (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Howard Wilton

  • Clash by Night(1952)

    as Earl Pfeiffer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • On Dangerous Ground(1951)

    as Jim Wilson

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Racket(1951)

    as Nick Scanlon

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Flying Leathernecks(1951)

    as Capt. Carl 'Griff' Griffin

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Best of the Badmen(1951)

    as Jeff Clanton

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Hard, Fast and Beautiful!(1951)

    as Seabright Tennis Match Spectator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Born to Be Bad(1950)

    as Nick

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Woman on Pier 13(1949)

    as Bradley Collins / Frank Johnson

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Fury(1950)

    as David McLean

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Set-Up(1949)

    as Stoker

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Caught(1949)

    as Smith Ohlrig

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Act of Violence(1948)

    as Joe Parkson

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Boy with Green Hair(1948)

    as Dr. Evans

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Bad Men(1948)

    as Sundance Kid

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Berlin Express(1948)

    as Robert Lindley

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Crossfire(1947)

    as Montgomery

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Woman on the Beach(1947)

    as Scott Burnett

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Trail Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Allen Harper

  • Marine Raiders(1944)

    as Capt. Dan Craig

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Tender Comrade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Chris Jones

  • Gangway for Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Joe Dunham

  • The Iron Major (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Father Timothy 'Tim' Donovan

  • Behind the Rising Sun(1943)

    as Lefty O'Doyle

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Sky's the Limit(1943)

    as Reginald Fenton

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Bombardier(1943)

    as Joe Connors

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Texas Rangers Ride Again(1940)

    as Eddie (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • North West Mounted Police(1940)

    as Constable Dumont

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Golden Gloves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Pete Wells

  • Queen of the Mob(1940)

    as Jim

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Ghost Breakers(1940)

    as Intern (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 88 titles from 1940 to 2002; peak year 1973.

Biggest box office

The Wild Bunch (1969)

$641K worldwide

Highest rated

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Longest Day (1962)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19402002

Peak 1973 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 32 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting88 of 88: 88 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

By decade

1940s21 · acting1950s33 · acting1960s24 · acting1970s9 · acting2000s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 22% of 45 roles
4050556070

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Robert Ryan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 58; across their 50 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 50

Approval · how many liked their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 50

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 50

Midcredits score across 58 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up22
  • 50th to 74th23
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

36 of their 58 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser36
  • Broadly Agreed10
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Lolly-Madonna XXX (1973)

50th percentile spread · 15% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Midcredits 97th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 50 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 53. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Robert Ryan's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles43–81 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles4–46 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles15–43 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles31–41 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles38–67 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Robert Ryan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Robert Ryan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roy Webb shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers