Veteran American actor Mitchell Ryan, known best for starring in films like Lethal Weapon and Liar Liar, has died. He was 88. The news of Ryan's death has been confirmed by U. S. media, with his stepdaughter Denise Freed informing that he passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Friday, March 4, as a result of congestive heart failure. He is survived by his wife Barbara Ryan, stepdaughter Denise, daughter-in-law Elizabeth, sister-in-law Mary, and grandchildren Ashley, Jacqueline, Olivia, Kaila, and Noah. Several notable celebrities in Hollywood have paid their tributes, including actress Susan Sullivan, who played his co-star on the hit television sitcom, Dharma & Greg. Sharing a photo with Ryan and the rest of the cast of the show, Sullivan tweeted, "Mitch Ryan an extraordinary actor a member of our D&G family has left the stage but not my heart. #RIP".
Mitch Ryan an extraordinary actor a member of our D&G family has left the stage but not my heart. #RIP pic.twitter.com/DSqGUMC34J
— Susan Sullivan (@realssullivan) March 5, 2022
In a career that spanned nearly six decades, Ryan who made his debut in the 1958 crime film Thunder Road, also garnered praise for his performance as Burke Devlin in the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows and Edward Montgomery in Dharma & Greg. Hailing from Ohio, the actor played the role of the sinister General Peter McAllister in the blockbuster buddy cop action film, Lethal Weapon, alongside Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Ryan had also served in the US Navy during the Korean War and took to theatre in Broadway as well as television and film, landing roles in Medea, The Price, and Wait Until Dark to name a few. Some of his other major appearances include Clint Eastwood films like High Plains Drifter and Magnum Force, while also starring in Judge Dredd alongside Sylvester Stallone and, Liar Liar with Jim Carrey. On television, apart from Dharma & Greg, he played the father of Will Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, followed by the ruthless businessman Anthony Tonell on Santa Barbara and as the gangster Frank Smith in General Hospital.