AllMovie

A former carnival rider famous for his Cossack style, Joe Ryan hailed from near Devil's Tower, WY, and began his screen career playing villains for the Colorado Motion Picture Co., Eclair, and Selig. He appeared in most of Tom Mix's 1916 Westerns for the latter company and starred in The Sheriff's Duty (1916), written and directed by Mix himself. Ryan's second bid for stardom came in a couple of Vitagraph serials -- Hidden Dangers (1920) and The Purple Riders (1921) -- but he somehow got lost in the shuffle and ended up a riding extra and bit part player. He was the brother of stunt man/bit player Chet Ryan (1889-1943).