You know that face. Even if the name doesn't immediately ring a bell, Mitchell Ryan is one of those actors who just felt like he was always there. Whether he was playing a stiff-collared socialite or a ruthless military villain, he had this rugged, square-jawed intensity that could shift from warm to terrifying in about three seconds flat.
Honestly, looking back at Mitchell Ryan movies and TV shows, the sheer range is kind of nuts. We're talking about a guy who went from the eerie, gothic drama of Dark Shadows in the sixties to being the main antagonist in the first Lethal Weapon. Most people remember him as the uptight Edward Montgomery on Dharma & Greg, but there is so much more to his resume than just playing a rich guy with a martini.
The Role That Almost Cost Him Everything
Before he was a sitcom staple, Mitchell Ryan was a soap opera pioneer. In 1966, he landed the role of Burke Devlin on Dark Shadows. If you haven't seen it, it was this bizarre, moody show about vampires and ghosts—completely different from anything else on TV at the time. Ryan was the original "man of mystery," arriving in Collinsport to settle an old score.
But there’s a darker side to that era. Ryan was actually fired from the show in 1967. He was open about it later in life, specifically in his memoir Fall of a Sparrow. He struggled with alcoholism, and it got to the point where he couldn't keep the job. It's a heavy chapter in his life, but what’s incredible is how he bounced back. He got sober, stayed sober for decades, and basically rebuilt his entire career from the ground up.
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Lethal Weapon and the Villain Era
If you’re an action movie fan, you definitely recognize him as General Peter McAllister. He was the big bad in the 1987 classic Lethal Weapon. It’s a masterclass in how to play a "cool" villain. While Gary Busey’s Mr. Joshua was the unhinged muscle, Ryan played the General with this icy, calculated professionalism.
He had this way of making a character seem powerful without ever having to raise his voice. It's probably why he worked so well in Westerns, too. You see that same grit in movies like High Plains Drifter with Clint Eastwood and Monte Walsh. He could hold his own against the biggest stars in the world and never look out of place.
Why He’s the King of the Character Actors
A lot of people don’t realize how close Mitchell Ryan came to being Captain Picard. No, really. When they were casting Star Trek: The Next Generation, he was actually the first choice for the captain’s chair.
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"I was the lead contender until they ran across that incredible British actor Patrick Stewart." — Mitchell Ryan, 2018 interview.
Imagine that. We almost had a very different version of the Enterprise. Instead, he eventually showed up on the show as Kyle Riker, the estranged, competitive father of Commander William Riker. It was a perfect piece of casting because he brought that "tough love" energy that made the friction between the two characters feel totally real.
A Career by the Numbers (Sorta)
Ryan didn't just stick to one genre. He was everywhere.
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- Soap Roots: Beyond Dark Shadows, he did stints on General Hospital, All My Children, and Santa Barbara.
- The Big Screen: He was the despondent cop Charlie McCoy in Magnum Force and the head of the law firm in Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar.
- Sitcom Fame: 119 episodes of Dharma & Greg as Edward Montgomery. He was the perfect foil for the "hippie" in-laws.
The Dharma & Greg Legacy
For a whole generation, Mitchell Ryan is Edward Montgomery. Period. He played the role from 1997 to 2002, and honestly, his chemistry with Susan Sullivan (who played Kitty) was one of the best parts of the show.
He played the "privileged elite" role so well because he didn't make Edward a caricature. He made him a guy who was clearly a bit bored with his own wealth, often more interested in his little tugboats and a good Scotch than whatever social drama Kitty was stirred up in. It was a complete pivot from his "tough guy" years, proving he had the comedic timing to stay relevant as he got older.
Exploring the Mitchell Ryan Catalog
If you want to actually see what made him a legend, you shouldn't just stick to the hits. You’ve gotta dig into the weird stuff.
- Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995): He plays Dr. Terrence Wynn. It’s a polarizing entry in the franchise, but Ryan brings a gravitas to the "Cult of Thorn" nonsense that makes it watchable.
- Grosse Pointe Blank (1997): He has a great turn as Bart Newberry, the father of Minnie Driver’s character. It’s a subtle, funny performance in a cult classic.
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973): This is a gritty, 70s crime drama that every film buff needs to see. Ryan is excellent in it alongside Robert Mitchum.
He passed away in 2022 at the age of 88, leaving behind a massive body of work. He wasn't just an actor; he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation for a while and was deeply involved in helping other performers.
If you're looking to binge some of his best work, start with Lethal Weapon for the intensity, then flip to a random episode of Dharma & Greg to see the range. It’s a pretty wild transition.
Actionable Next Steps
- Watch the "Dark Shadows" pilot: You can find it on various streaming services. Seeing Ryan as the original Burke Devlin gives you a real sense of his early leading-man energy.
- Track down "Fall of a Sparrow": If you're a fan of Hollywood memoirs, his book is incredibly honest about his battles with addiction and his time in the industry.
- Double Feature: Watch Magnum Force and Liar Liar back-to-back. It is the quickest way to appreciate how he could fit into literally any movie tone.