 Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ryan attended Carnegie Mellon University and has worked in such 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 supporting roles in a variety of films, including "Teknolust", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "The Book of Life", "Dream Boy", and the sequels to "Henry Fool", "Fay Grim" (2007) and "Ned Rifle" (2014).