Christopher Ryan

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.{{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}}

Ryan was the only 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, 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", with Richard himself, for Comic Relief.{{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}}

In 1987, he starred in the short-lived BBC sitcom A Small Problem. He played Lucky in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the Queen's Theatre in the West End in 1991, alongside Mayall and Edmondson.From the programme to the production. He later played Dave Hedgehog in 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 The Green Green Grass, a pair of 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 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. 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",{{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 }} 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), 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.{{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 }}

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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