Thomas Jay Ryan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jay Ryan is a veteran stage actor who also starred in the 1997 film Henry Fool
.
Ryan attended Carnegie Mellon University
and has worked in such prestigious theaters as the Guthrie Theater
in Minneapolis and the Yale Repertory Theatre
in New Haven. In addition, he has worked with avante-garde playwright Richard Foreman
and has played roles ranging from Dracula
to Degas
. He has also had supporting roles in a variety of films, including Teknolust
, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
, The Book of Life
, Dream Boy
, and Henry Fool
's 2007 sequel, Fay Grim
. He played pioneering gay activist Harry Hay
in the initial production of the play The Temperamentals
in 2009.
Henry Fool
Henry Fool is a 1997 American seriocomic film written, produced and directed by Hal Hartley, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, and Parker Posey. As in The Unbelievable Truth, an earlier Hartley film, expectation and reality again conflict....
.
Ryan attended Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and has worked in such prestigious theaters as the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
in Minneapolis and the Yale Repertory Theatre
Yale Repertory Theatre
The Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...
in New Haven. In addition, he has worked with avante-garde playwright Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman
Richard Foreman is an American playwright and avant-garde theater pioneer. He is the founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater.-Life :...
and has played roles ranging from Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
to Degas
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
. He has also had supporting roles in a variety of films, including Teknolust
Teknolust
Teknolust is a 2002 movie produced, written, and directed by Lynn Hershman Leeson who, at the time of production, was working in the art department at University of Spermheads, Massachusetttopia...
, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science fiction film about an estranged couple who have each other erased from their memories, scripted by Charlie Kaufman and directed by the French director, Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction, psychological...
, The Book of Life
The Book of Life
The Book of Life is a 1998 film by Hal Hartley. In the film, Jesus returns to earth on the eve of the new millennium planning to bring about the apocalypse, but finds himself surprisingly enamored of humanity. It stars Martin Donovan as Jesus, and PJ Harvey as Mary Magdalene. William S...
, Dream Boy
Dream Boy (film)
Dream Boy is a 2008 gay-themed romantic drama film written and directed by James Bolton and based on Jim Grimsley's 1995 novel of the same name about two gay teenagers who fall in love in the rural South during the 1970s.-Plot:...
, and Henry Fool
Henry Fool
Henry Fool is a 1997 American seriocomic film written, produced and directed by Hal Hartley, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, and Parker Posey. As in The Unbelievable Truth, an earlier Hartley film, expectation and reality again conflict....
's 2007 sequel, Fay Grim
Fay Grim
Fay Grim is a 2006 film written and directed by Hal Hartley. The film is a sequel to Hartley's 1997 film Henry Fool, and revolves around the title character, played by Parker Posey, the sister of Simon Grim . The plot revolves around Fay's attempt to unravel an increasingly violent mystery in Europe...
. He played pioneering gay activist Harry Hay
Harry Hay
Henry "Harry" Hay, Jr. was a labor advocate, teacher and early leader in the American LGBT rights movement. He is known for his roles in helping to found several gay organizations, including the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States.Hay was exposed early in...
in the initial production of the play The Temperamentals
The Temperamentals
The Temperamentals is a 2009 play by Jon Marans. It chronicles the founding of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained LGBT rights organization in the United States, and the love affair of two of its founding members, Harry Hay and Rudi Gernreich...
in 2009.