Editing Christopher Ryan

{{Short description|British actor (born 1950)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Christopher Ryan
| image        = Christopher Ryan.png
| caption      = Ryan in "[[Back to School Mr. Bean]]" (1994)
| birth_name   = Christopher Papazoglou
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1950|1|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Bayswater]], [[London]], England
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| alma_mater   = [[East 15 Acting School]]
| other_names  = Chris Ryan
| occupation   = Actor
| years_active = 1971–present
}}

'''Christopher Papazoglou''' (born 25 January 1950{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}), known professionally as '''Christopher Ryan''', is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Mike The Cool Person in the [[BBC]] comedy series ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'', Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy series ''[[Bottom (TV series)|Bottom]]'', Tony Driscoll in the BBC comedy series ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', and ''[[The Green Green Grass]]'' and as [[Edina Monsoon]]'s ex-husband Marshall Turtle in the BBC sitcom ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''. He has also appeared as the McKendrick twins in ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'', and in [[Doctor Who]] played the Mentor Kiv in [[Trial of a Time Lord]] in 1986 and [[Sontaran]] General Staal in 2008 and 2010.

==Early life==
Ryan was born Christopher Papazoglou on 25 January 1950 in [[Bayswater]], [[London]] to an English mother and a Greek father. He trained at [[East 15 Acting School]] from 1968 to 1971, then began his professional acting career with [[Glasgow Citizens' Theatre]].<ref name="godot">{{cite web|url=http://rik-mayall.com/mayallonline/daily-mayall-23-september-1991-waiting-for-godot-previews/ |title=Daily Mayall : 23 September 1991 : Waiting For Godot Previews - Rik Mayall News and Events |accessdate=31 January 2021}}</ref>

==Career==
===''The Young Ones''===
Ryan was the only ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|Young Ones]]'' cast member who was not already well known in British comedy circles, the other principal parts being taken by [[The Comic Strip]] members [[Rik Mayall]], [[Adrian Edmondson]], [[Nigel Planer]], and [[Alexei Sayle]]. He was a last-minute replacement for [[Peter Richardson (British director)|Peter Richardson]], for whom the "[[straight man]]" role of "Mike The Cool Person" was originally intended.

In 1986, Ryan reunited with the rest of the cast for the comedic charity single and music video for [[Cliff Richard]]'s hit song "[[Living Doll (song)|Living Doll]]", with Richard himself, for [[Comic Relief]].<ref name="living">{{cite web|url=https://www.simplyeighties.com/cliff-richard-and-the-young-ones.php#.YA9Tr5P7Si4 |title=Living Doll by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones - SimplyEightys |accessdate= 25 January 2021}}</ref>

===Later career===
In 1987, he starred in the short-lived BBC sitcom ''[[A Small Problem]]''. He played [[Lucky (Waiting for Godot)|Lucky]] in [[Samuel Beckett]]'s ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' at the [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]] in 1991, alongside Mayall and Edmondson.<ref>From the programme to the production.</ref> He later played Dave Hedgehog in ''[[Bottom (TV series)|Bottom]]'', and Marshall Turtle, one of Edina's unloved ex-husbands, on ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''. He has also appeared in two major sitcoms: he played one of the Driscoll brothers in an episode of ''[[Only Fools And Horses]]'' and [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] ''[[The Green Green Grass]]'', a pair of [[Twin|identical twin]] builders in the ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'' episode "Hole in the Sky", and a plumber in the episode "The Valley of Fear". He appeared in ''[[Back to School Mr. Bean]]'', ''[[My Family]]'' and ''[[Saxondale]].'' He joined up again with Jennifer Saunders for two episodes of ''The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle''.

In 1986, he appeared in the [[science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' as the alien creature [[List of Doctor Who villains#Lord Kiv|Lord Kiv]] in the serial ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', and as one of the rose-painting playing cards in the 1999 TV version of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''. In 2008, he again guest-starred in ''Doctor Who'' in the episodes "[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]" and "[[The Poison Sky]]", as the [[Sontaran]] leader "General Staal",<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/10/02/49473.shtml | title=Doctor Who: Casting Update | date=2 October 2007 | accessdate=12 September 2009 | publisher=[[BBC]] | archive-date=7 March 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307232646/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/10/02/49473.shtml | url-status=dead }}</ref> and in the 2010 episode "[[The Pandorica Opens]]", playing another Sontaran character, "Commander Stark". In 2012 he appeared in the role of Marshall in Episode 3 "Olympics" of the ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' 20th-anniversary specials.

Although so far his film appearances have been few, he has played small roles in ''[[Santa Claus: The Movie]]'' (1985) playing Vout the elf, and in the film ''[[Dirty Weekend (1993 film)|Dirty Weekend]]'' (1993), directed by [[Michael Winner]] playing a character credited as Small One.

Ryan starred as Baron Hardup in the pantomime of [[Cinderella]] at the [[Theatre Royal, Norwich]] from 17 December 2013 to 19 January 2014.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.hercampus.com/school/exeter/hcx-pick-christmas-events-around-country | title=HCX Pick of Christmas Events | date=28 November 2013 | accessdate=10 June 2014 | publisher=Her Campus Media, LLC }}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1985 || ''[[Santa Claus: The Movie]]'' || Vout ||
|-
| 1993 || ''[[Dirty Weekend (1993 film)|Dirty Weekend]]'' || Small One ||
|-
| 1997 || ''Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Not!'' || Marshall || Direct-to-video
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Dead Man Running]]'' || Bookie at the Dogs || Uncredited
|-
| 2012 || ''City Slacker'' || Frank ||
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]'' || Marshall ||
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor]]'' || Kiv || Direct-to-video<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigblueboxpodcast.co.uk/review-sil-and-the-devil-seeds-of-arodor/ |title=REVIEW: 'Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor' - The Doctor Who Big Blue Box Podcast |accessdate= 30 January 2021}}</ref>
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1978 || ''[[Target (UK TV series)|Target]]'' || Jock || Episode: "A Good and Faithful Woman"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1979 || ''[[Angels (TV series)|Angels]]'' || Harry || Episodes 5.13 & 5.15
|-
| ''Premiere'' || Clive || Episode: "Deasey"
|-
| 1980 || ''[[Fox (TV series)|Fox]]'' || East || Episode: "Stick or Twist"
|-
| rowspan="3"|1981 || ''[[BBC2 Playhouse]]'' || Tony || Episode: "Days at the Beach"
|-
| ''[[Play for Today]]'' || Hound Dog || Episode: "A Turn for the Worse"
|-
| ''The Olympian Way'' || Mickey Farr || Episode: "Slim Chance"
|-
| 1982–1984 || ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'' || Mike The Cool Person ||
|-
| 1984 || ''The Tempest, Act IV'' || Ferdinand || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="4"|1985 || ''Inside Out'' || Tommy || Episodes 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3
|-
| ''Summer Season'' || Twerp || Episode: "Rachel and the Roarettes"
|-
| ''[[The Lenny Henry Show]]'' || N/A || Episode 2.2
|-
| ''[[Happy Families (1985 TV series)|Happy Families]]'' || Mell || Episode: "Cassie"
|-
| 1986 || ''[[Doctor Who]]'' || Kiv || Episode: "[[Mindwarp]]"
|-
| 1987 || ''[[A Small Problem]]'' || Howard ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|1989 || ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' || Tony Driscoll || Episode: "Little Problems"
|-
| ''[[The Russ Abbot Show]]'' || N/A || Episode 4.12
|-
| 1990, 1995 || ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'' || Plumber<br>McKendrick Twins || Episodes: "The Valley of Fear"<br>"Hole in the Sky"
|-
| 1991–1995 || ''[[Bottom (TV series)|Bottom]]'' || Dave Hedgehog || Episodes: "Accident"<br>"Parade"<br>"Holy"<br>"Terror"<br>"Dough"
|-
| 1992 || ''[[The New Statesman (1987 TV series)|The New Statesman]]'' || Ioannis Douvalopoulos || Episode: "Speaking in Tongues"
|-
| 1992–2012 || ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' || Marshall || Credited as Chris Ryan
|-
| rowspan="2"|1993 || ''[[Maigret (1992 TV series)|Maigret]]'' || Basie || Episode: "Maigret and the Maid"
|-
| ''[[Newman and Baddiel in Pieces]]'' || N/A || Episode: "Guilty"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1994 || ''Requiem Apache'' || Club Barman || TV movie<br>Credited as Chris Ryan
|-
| ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' || Karate Student || Episode: "Back to School Mr. Bean"<br>Credited as Chris Ryan
|-
| 1995 || ''[[Health and Efficiency (TV series)|Health and Efficiency]]'' || Peter Hudson || Episode: "The Old Dope Peddler"
|-
| 1997 || ''Melissa'' || Les Maurice || TV mini-series
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Mike and Angelo]]'' || Brad Schnauzer || Episode: "Out of the Wardrobe"
|-
| 1999 || ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1999 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' || Royal Gardener 3 || TV movie<br>Credited as Chris Ryan
|-
| 2001, 2003 || ''[[My Family]]'' || Mr. Hilliard<br>Rod Baxter || Episodes: "Parisian Beauty"<br>"Canary Cage"
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Fun at the Funeral Parlour]]'' || Rocky || Episode: "Dog Dago Afternoon"
|-
| 2005–2006, 2009 || ''[[The Green Green Grass]]'' || Tony Driscoll || Episodes: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock"<br>"Brothers and Sisters"<br>"Home Brew"
|-
| 2006 || ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' || Professor Percy || Episode: "Chimps Ahoy"<br>Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007 || ''[[Saxondale]]'' || Ticket Inspector || Episode 2.5
|-
| ''[[The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle]]'' || Miriam || Episodes 1.2 & 1.6
|-
| 2008, 2010 || ''[[Doctor Who]]'' || General Staal<br>Commander Stark || Episodes: "[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]"<br>"[[The Poison Sky]]"<br>"[[The Pandorica Opens]]"
|-
| 2013 || ''[[It's Kevin]]'' || The Great Spagboletti || Episode #1.4
|}

=== Audio drama ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
!Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters]]'' || General Stenk/Flitch || "The Sontaran Ordeal"
|-
| rowspan="3"|2018 || ''[[Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures|Ravenous]]'' || Macy || "How to Make a Killing in Time Travel"
|-
| ''Jeremiah Bourne in Time''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/jeremiah-bourne-in-time-1769 |title=Jeremiah Bourne in Time - Big Finish Originals - Big Finish |accessdate= 26 January 2021}}</ref> || Pete ||
|-
| ''Lady Christina''<ref>{{cite web |title=Lady Christina Series 01 - The Worlds of Doctor Who - Special Releases - Big Finish |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/lady-christina-series-01-1829 |accessdate=26 January 2021}}</ref>|| Grunt/Handley || 2 stories
|-
| 2019, 2020 || ''[[The Paternoster Gang (audio drama series)|The Paternoster Gang]]'' || Stonn || 2 stories
|-
| 2024 ||''Doctor Who: Sontarans vs Rutans'' || Vrell / Trax  || 2 episodes
|-
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! Year !! Title !! Role
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Black Mirror III]]'' || Additional Voices
|}

===Music videos===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!  Year !! Title !! Role !! Artist/Writer
|-
| 1986 || "[[Living Doll (song)#1986 version|Living Doll]]"<ref name="living"/> || Mike || [[Cliff Richard]]
|}

==Theatre==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!  Year !! Title !! Role !! Location !! {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|1977 || ''[[The Devil Is an Ass]]'' || Pug || rowspan="2"|[[Royal National Theatre]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bricksite.com/davidsuchet?id=104803 |title=David Suchet - The Devil is an Ass (1976-77) |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| ''[[Measure for Measure]]'' || Abhorson || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bricksite.com/davidsuchet?id=104802 |title=David Suchet - Measure for Measure (1976-77) |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1978 || ''[[The Cure for Love (play)|The Cure for Love]]'' || Charlie Fox || [[Churchill Theatre]] ||<ref name="theatricalia">{{cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/person/177v/christopher-ryan |title= Christopher Ryan - Theatricalia |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1979 || ''[[Bleak House]]'' || Conversation Kenge<br>Trooper George<br>Various || [[Royal Court Theatre]] || <ref name="theatricalia"/>
|-
| 1980 || ''[[A Flea in Her Ear]]'' || N/A || [[Leatherhead#Culture and sport|Thorndike Theatre]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://theatricalia.co.uk/07class/class8089.htm |title=ROB WILTON THEATRICALIA Classic Play Programmes 1980-89 |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1984 || ''[[Of Mice and Men (play)|Of Mice and Men]]'' || Curley || [[Mermaid Theatre]] || <ref name="theatricalia"/>
|-
| 1987 || ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' || Puck || [[Regent's Park Open Air Theatre]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shakespeareances.com/about/productions/midsummer_night.html |title=A Midsummer Night's Dream - shakespeareances.com |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Kiss Me, Kate]]'' || Joe Ambrosio || [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.photostage.co.uk/stock-photo-kiss-me-kate-music-lyrics-cole-porter-book-sam-bella-spewack-after-photostage-image00101985.html |title=Photostage.co.uk |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 1990 || '' Valued Friends'' || Stewart || [[Hampstead Theatre]] || <ref name="theatricalia"/>
|-
| 1991 || ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' || Lucky || [[Sondheim Theatre|Queen's Theatre]] || <ref name="godot"/>
|-
| 1993 || ''On the Ledge'' || Martin || [[Royal National Theatre]]/[[Nottingham Playhouse]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://catalogue.nationaltheatre.org.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Performance&id=1276 |title=CalmView: Overview - National Theatre |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 2003 || ''[[His Girl Friday#Legacy|His Girl Friday]]'' || McCue || [[Royal National Theatre|Olivier Theatre]] || <ref name="theatricalia"/>
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (play)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]'' || Dr. Einstein || [[Salisbury Playhouse]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/arsenicsalis-rev |title=
Theatre review: Arsenic and Old Lace at Salisbury Playhouse |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Cinderella]]'' || Baron Hardup || [[Theatre Royal, Norwich]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/norwich-theatre/reviews/cinderella-norwich_33056.html |title=Cinderella (Norwich) - WhatsOnStage |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense]]'' || Seppings || [[Theatre Royal, Nottingham]] || <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itsmuchmore.com/jeeves-wooster-at-theatre-royal-nottingham/ |title=JEEVES & WOOSTER at Theatre Royal Nottingham - ItsMuchMore |accessdate= 31 January 2021}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200731213415/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba399533b Christopher Ryan] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Christopher}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Alumni of East 15 Acting School]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English people of Greek descent]]
[[Category:The Flying Pickets members]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]