Ryan was best known for his long-running role as John Randolph on the serial Another World, which he played from November 13, 1964, until his character's death in a fire on March 6, 1979.

He was a pioneer of New York City's East Village, where he moved in the late 1950s and raised his family.

Following his departure from Another World, he made appearances on The Edge of Night on ABC and played Vince Cardello on Another Life on CBN.

Ryan was a 1952 graduate of Saint Benedict's College in Atchison, Kansas, with a bachelor's degree in political science.

[citation needed] He worked toward a master's degree at Georgetown University before leaving to pursue a career in acting.