Tim Ryan Biography

Well versed in virtually every aspect of live entertainment, American performer Tim Ryan spent the greater part of his professional career as one-half of the team of Tim and Irene. The other half was Tim's wife Irene Ryan, better known to modern audiences as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies. The Ryans appeared on Broadway, starred in a mid-'30s radio series, headlined a brief series of 2-reelers for Educational studios, and guested in such medium-budget musical films as 1943's Hot Rhythm. Even after Tim and Irene divorced, they frequently found themselves working at the same studio, and sometimes even the same soundstage. On his own, Ryan appeared in numerous films as cops, plainclothes detectives and newspaper editors. His best opportunities came at modest little Monogram studios in the '40s and early '50s, where he not only showed up in featured roles, but also wrote several screenplays. In Detective Kitty O'Day (1945), one can spot the reflection of Tim Ryan in a highly polished hubcap, listening intently as leading man Peter Cookson recites the long comic monologue that Ryan had written for him. - Hal Erickson, Rovi

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