At
32 years of age, the wealthy and embittered Burke Devlin returns
to Collinsport after a 10 year absence. Burke finds himself
consumed by his mission to gain revenge against Roger Collins,
who framed him for a hit and run accident. From humble beginnings,
Burke rose through the ranks of the Collins family business,
finding a close friend in Roger along the way. However, Burke's
growing relationship with Roger's wife Laura, and questions
of David Collins true lineage brought them both growing tensions
and resentment. The guilty verdict sent Burke to jail for
five years. When the truth finally surfaces from the crime's
only witness, the conscience-stricken local artist Sam Evans,
it leaves a vindicated Burke liberated to rebuild his life
at last...
Mitchell
Ryan was born on January 11, 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Born Mitchell, he was usually credited as such, though sometimes
uses the more informal Mitch on and off the screen, particularly
in more recent years.
His
interest in acting began with a stint in the special services
entertainment unit of the United States Navy during the Korean
War. Mitch's first professional job was with the local theaters
in Louisville, Kentucky. Later, he moved to Virginia and performed
in forty plays at the Barter Theater. In 1957, Mitch relocated
to New York where he remained for much of the following decade,
essaying Broadway stage roles in The Price, Othello, Moon
for the Misbegotten, Baal, Wait Until Dark, Iphigenia in Aulis
and Medea.
Mitchell
Ryan left the cast of Dark Shadows abruptly in 1967.
This came during a period of alcohol dependance. To his credit,
he successfuly attended Alcoholics Anonymous and went on to
enjoy one of the most successful and varied careers of all
the Dark Shadows cast. Mitch's credits on daytime drama
also include General Hospital, All My Children and
Santa Barbara.
His
transition to the big screen came with an uncredited part
in Thunder Road with Robert Mitchum. Soon afterwards,
a role in the western Monte Walsh, alongside Lee Marvin,
gave Mitch the push to relocate to California in the late
1960s, where he has remained ever since.
Mitch
has appeared in dozens of movies, including The Entertainer,
High Plains Drifter,The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Magnum Force,
Lethal Weapon, Winter People,Hot Shots! Part Deux, Blue Sky,
Speechless, Malicious, Judge Dredd, Grosse Pointe Blank, The
Devil's Own and Liar Liar.
In
1974, Mitch founded the Los Angeles Actors Theater with Ralph
Waite of The Waltons fame. In addition to working as
its managing director, he still found time to perform in many
of the productions including Antony and Cleopatra.
Mitch's
extensive small screen career has seen him appear in dozens
of television shows and television movies, including Flesh
and Blood, Chase, Angel City, 2000 Malibu Road, NYPD, The
High Chaparral, Cannon,The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby
Jones," Baretta, The Rockford Files, Hart to Hart, Dallas,
Murder She Wrote, Riptide, The A-Team, Star Trek: The Next
Generation, Mission Impossible, Jake and the Fat Man, Hotel
and NYPD Blue.
In
recent years, he has starred in the hit situation comedy Dharma
and Greg, opposite Susan Sullivan. In addition to sharing
credits on Dark Shadows, Mitch and co-star Sullivan
have also appeared together in the medical drama Julia
Farr, MD and both belong to the Matrix Theater group.
Today,
Mitchell Ryan lives in Santa Monica, California. He is the
father of three children and has five grandchildren.
Biography
written by Vera Marano
Back
