His more memorable characters include Fergus in the 1997 Fox television series Roar and Myles Standish in Disney's 1994 adventure drama film Squanto: A Warrior's Tale.
Born John Barker in Burnley, Lancashire, he attended Rosehill Junior School and later became a bookseller and martial arts teacher in the town.
[1] He ran and instructed a Muay Thai gym in Preston called fighting fit prior to getting a role as a stunt double for Sean Connery on the film set 'The Medicine Man' Ryan made his acting debut in 1983 in G.B.H.
Ryan appeared in theatre productions of Far from the Madding Crowd and A Streetcar Named Desire, and in supporting roles in films and television series including Coronation Street (as Charlie Whelan), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, General Hospital, Murder, She Wrote, Cybill, and the made-for-TV movie The Heidi Chronicles.
He has won multiple national and international titles in the sport, and he has written books and produced videos on the doma vaquera style.