Amy Ryan | |
|---|---|
 Ryan at the premiere ofWolfs in 2024 | |
| Born | Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (1968-05-03)May 3, 1968 (age 57) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (born May 3, 1968),[1] known professionally asAmy Ryan, is an American actress. She began her professional stage career in 1987 and made herBroadway debut in 1993 as a replacement in the original production ofWendy Wasserstein'sThe Sisters Rosensweig. She was nominated for theTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performances inUncle Vanya (2000) andA Streetcar Named Desire (2005), and theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play forDoubt: A Parable (2024).
For her breakthrough film role as a troubled single mother in the thrillerGone Baby Gone (2007), Ryan was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other films includeYou Can Count on Me (2000),Capote (2005),Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007),Changeling (2008),Birdman (2014),Bridge of Spies (2015),The Infiltrator (2016), andBeau Is Afraid (2023).
On television, she playedBeadie Russell in theHBO crime seriesThe Wire (2002–2008) andHolly Flax in theNBC sitcomThe Office (2008–2011), and has also featured in the HBO drama seriesIn Treatment (2010), theHulu mystery comedy seriesOnly Murders in the Building (2021–2024), and theApple TV+ mystery seriesSugar (2024).
Ryan was born Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski inFlushing, Queens, in New York City, the daughter of Pamela (née Ryan),[2][3] anurse, and John Dziewiontkowski, a trucking business owner. She is of Polish, Irish, and English descent.[4] Growing up in the 1970s, Ryan and her sister Laura delivered theDaily News by bike. At a young age, Ryan attended theStagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in upstate New York. At 17, she graduated from New York'sHigh School of Performing Arts.[5] Hired for the national tour ofBiloxi Blues right out of high school, Ryan worked steadilyoff-Broadway for the next decade. She chose her mother's maiden name as her stage name.[5]
Ryan made her off-Broadway debut in the Westside Theatre's 1987 production ofA Shayna Maidel, playing the role of Hanna. The following year she was seen in the Second Stage Theatre Company's revival ofThe Rimers of Eldritch.[6][7] Additional off-Broadway credits includeAs Bees In Honey Drown,Crimes of the Heart andSaved.[8][9][10][11] She also worked inregional theater, where she originated roles in new plays byNeil LaBute,Arthur Miller andNeil Simon. OnBroadway she has appeared as Tess inThe Sisters Rosensweig, Natasha in the 1997 revival ofThe Three Sisters, and Peggy in the 2001–2002 revival ofThe Women.[5][12]
Following a brief stint playing a runaway onAs the World Turns, Ryan was cast in television series such asI'll Fly Away,[5] After roles onER andChicago Hope, Ryan became a series regular onThe Naked Truth asTéa Leoni's spoiled stepdaughter.[13][14] In 1993, she made her first appearance on NBC'sLaw & Order, appearing in several episodes over the years.[5]
Ryan was nominated for theTony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play twice: in 2000, for her portrayal of Sonya Alexandrovna inUncle Vanya, and in 2005, for her performance asStella Kowalski oppositeJohn C. Reilly inA Streetcar Named Desire.[5][12][15][16]
Because of the deletion of the scene where she playedEric Stoltz's wife inAllison Anders'sGrace of My Heart, Ryan made her 1999 film debut inRoberta.[14] She then briefly appeared inYou Can Count on Me, which starredLaura Linney andMark Ruffalo,[5] and the mystery/thrillerKeane.[5][14] By 2001, directorSidney Lumet cast her in100 Centre Street playing three different roles (Ellen, Paris and Rebecca).[17] From 2003 to 2008 Ryan went on to feature prominently in HBO's crime drama seriesThe Wire, playing Port Authority OfficerBeadie Russell.[18][19]Albert Brooks chose her to play his wife inLooking for Comedy in the Muslim World in 2005, and 2007 brought bothDan in Real Life andBefore the Devil Knows You're Dead.[5][17] Her role as a star-struck sheriff's wife inCapote[5] earned her positive reviews, but it was playing a hardened welfare mom inBen Affleck'sGone Baby Gone that finally brought her national attention.[5][17][19]
After beingvoted Best Supporting Actress forGone Baby Gone by theNational Board of Review,[20] as well as the critics circles in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., Ryan's performance was also nominated for aGolden Globe Award, aScreen Actors Guild Award,[21] and anOscar forBest Performance by an Actress in a Supporting role at the80th Academy Awards.[22]
Ryan appeared inChangeling (2008), directed byClint Eastwood,[5] and oppositeMatt Damon inPaul Greengrass'sGreen Zone (2010).[5][23] In September 2010, she completed filming a role inPhilip Seymour Hoffman's directorial film debut,Jack Goes Boating, taking over the role of Connie originally played by Beth Cole in thestage version.[18] Ryan received strong notices for her performance inTom McCarthy'sWin Win the next year, winning Best Supporting Actress awards from multiple regional critics groups. From 2008 to 2011 She appeared for a six-episode arc onThe Office as dorkyHR repHolly Flax. She reprised her role onThe Office in seasons 5 and 7.[24] Ryan joined the cast of HBO'sIn Treatment for its third season in 2010, playing the therapist of Dr. Paul Weston.[25]
Ryan was a part of the core ensemble of the 2014Best Picture Academy Award winning filmBirdman, sharing in the cast'sScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture victory. In 2015, she starred as Mary Donovan opposite Tom Hanks in the filmBridge of Spies, and reunited with herIn Treatment co-star Gabriel Byrne inLouder Than Bombs, the English-language debut ofJoachim Trier. Early the next year, Ryan was cast as Tracy, her first on-screen leading role,[26] inAbundant Acreage Available, a rural family drama fromJunebug screenwriterAngus MacLachlan. Upon the film's premiere at the 2017Tribeca Film Festival, Ryan drew universal acclaim for her performance, withThe Wrap noting that she "holds the screen no matter what she's doing and who she's with"[27] andFlavorwire raving that Ryan "sounds notes that are quietly dazzling in their complexity."[28]Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge dubbed the performance a career highlight:
It's a pleasure to see such a fine actress navigate the nuances of her role ... Only on the big screen are we able to fully appreciate the minutely detailed nature of Ryan's performance, revealing Tracy's soul via the slightest narrowing of the eyes or the almost-subliminal tensing of her cheekbones. As we know,Junebug earned Amy Adams an Oscar nomination, and if the world were fair, this role would bring another Amy similar attention.[29]
Ryan received some of the best reviews of her career for her leading role in theRoundabout Theater Company's 2016 production ofLove, Love, Love.Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times praised her "smashing comic performance,"[30]The Hollywood Reporter called her work "emotionally vital,"[31] andThe Associated Press raved that "Ryan is absolutely magnetic ... nailing her charming, unpredictable character with perfect comedic timing."[32] In an article exploring various famous actresses working on the stage,The Washington Post theater critic Peter Marks highlighted Ryan's work in the play:
The revelation is not that Amy Ryan is good. It's that she'sthis good ... Ryan, whose range has been apparent for years, in dramatic performances nominated for Tonys (Uncle Vanya) and Oscars (Gone Baby Gone), as well as in nuanced comic turns on television shows likeThe Office, manages a feat inLove, Love, Love that she's never accomplished so fluidly before: taking charge. She delivers a front-and-center performance of such beguiling dynamism (in a thoroughly convincing English accent) that you feel this Roundabout Theatre Company production has done for her precisely what was intended. It exposes a new facet of her talent — and leaves us with that uplifting itch, to be there the next time she's on a stage.[33]
For her performance inLove, Love, Love, Ryan won theObie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress, and was nominated for theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play[34] and theDrama League Award for Distinguished Performance.[35]
In 2018, Ryan co-starred inBeautiful Boy forAmazon Studios, a dark family drama, with herThe Office co-starSteve Carell, andTimothée Chalamet. She was then among the ensemble cast of 2019'sLate Night, theMindy Kaling-penned comedy about a female late-night talk show host (Emma Thompson); andStrange but True, a noir-thriller based on the novel byJohn Searles.[36][37] In 2020, Ryan starred asMari Gilbert, a real life woman searching for her missing daughter, inNetflix's mystery thrillerLost Girls.
In 2021, Amy Ryan played Jan Bellows, a main role, in the first season of Hulu seriesOnly Murders in the Building co-starring withSteve Martin,Martin Short andSelena Gomez.[38][39] In 2023 she appeared inAri Aster'sA24 black comedy psychological horror filmBeau Is Afraid starringJoaquin Phoenix. In the film she played Grace, who, alongsideNathan Lane's Roger, takes Beau in for a brief period of time.[40]
Ryan married Eric Slovin[2][41][42] in 2011.[43] They have one daughter born in October 2009.[44][3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Roberta | Judy | |
| 2000 | You Can Count on Me | Rachel Louise Prescott | |
| A Pork Chop for Larry | Beth | Short film | |
| 2004 | Keane | Lynn Bedik | |
| 2005 | War of the Worlds | Neighbor with Toddler | |
| Capote | Marie Dewey | ||
| Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World | Emily Brooks | ||
| 2006 | Marvelous | Queenie | |
| 2007 | Gone Baby Gone | Helene McCready | |
| Neal Cassady | Carolyn Cassady | ||
| Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | Martha Hanson | ||
| Dan in Real Life | Eileen Burns | ||
| 2008 | Changeling | Carol Dexter | |
| 2009 | The Missing Person | Miss Charley | Also executive producer |
| Bob Funk | Ms. Wright | ||
| 2010 | Jack Goes Boating | Connie | |
| Green Zone | Lawrie Dayne | ||
| 2011 | Win Win | Jackie Flaherty | |
| 2013 | Breathe In | Megan Reynolds | |
| Escape Plan | Abigail Ross | ||
| Devil's Knot | Margaret Lax | ||
| 2014 | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Sylvia | |
| 2015 | Don Verdean | Carol | |
| Louder Than Bombs | Hannah | ||
| Goosebumps | Gale Cooper | ||
| Bridge of Spies | Mary McKenna Donovan | ||
| 2016 | Central Intelligence | Agent Pamela Harris | |
| The Infiltrator | Bonni Tischler | ||
| Monster Trucks | Cindy Coley | ||
| 2017 | Abundant Acreage Available | Tracy Ledbetter | |
| 2018 | Beautiful Boy | Vicki Sheff | |
| 2019 | Late Night | Caroline Morton | |
| Strange but True | Charlene Chase | ||
| 2020 | Worth | Camille Biros | |
| Lost Girls | Mari Gilbert | ||
| 2023 | Beau Is Afraid | Grace | |
| 2024 | Wolfs | Margaret |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | As the World Turns | Renee | Unknown episodes |
| 1991 | Quantum Leap | Libby McBain | Episode: "Raped - June 20, 1980" |
| Brooklyn Bridge | Young Sophie | Episode: "Old Fools" | |
| 1992 | Home Improvement | Robin | Episode: "Luck Be a Taylor Tonight" |
| I'll Fly Away | Parkie Sasser | 6 episodes | |
| 1993; 2006 | Law & Order | Amy / Valerie Messick | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Sirens | April Ward | Episode: "The Abduction" |
| ER | Sister Elizabeth | Episode: "Love Among the Ruins" | |
| 1995–1996 | The Naked Truth | Chloe Banks | 20 episodes |
| 1998 | Chicago Hope | Helen Sherwood | Episode: "Liver, Hold the Mushrooms" |
| A Will of Their Own | Carrie Baker | Miniseries | |
| 1999 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Erika Cullen | Episode: "A Case of Do or Die" |
| 2000 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Lorraine Hansen | Episode: "Bad Blood" |
| 2001–2002 | 100 Centre Street | Rebecca Rifkind / Ellen | 7 episodes |
| 2003; 2007 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Julie Turner / Edie Nelson | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2008 | The Wire | Beadie Russell | 20 episodes |
| 2004 | Third Watch | Dr. Jenny Hanson | Episode: "Last Will and Testament" |
| 2006 | American Experience | Luzena Wilson | Episode: "The Gold Rush" |
| 2006–2007 | Kidnapped | Maureen Campbell | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Independent Lens | Anita Hoffman | Episode: "Chicago 10" |
| 2008–2011 | The Office | Holly Flax | 17 episodes |
| 2010 | In Treatment | Adele | 8 episodes |
| 2013 | Clear History | Wendy the Waitress | Television film |
| 2015–2017 | Broad City | Heidi Strand | 2 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | High Maintenance | Gigi | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Robot Chicken | Lobster Lady /Psylocke / Liesl von Trapp | Voice Episode: "Shall I Visit the Dinosaurs?" |
| 2020 | I'll Be Gone in the Dark | Michelle McNamara's Writings Read By | Voice 6 episodes |
| 2021–2022; 2024 | Only Murders in the Building | Jan Bellows | Main role |
| 2024 | Sugar | Melanie Matthews | Main Role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Horror of Dolores Roach | Georgie | Fiction podcast series Episode: "The Single Greatest Threat to Our Survival" |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Rimers of Eldritch | Lena Truitt | Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1992 | Hot Dog Hitman | Doris / Mrs. Garcia | West Bank Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1993 | The Sisters Rosensweig | Tess Goode(replacement) | Ethel Barrymore Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1997 | Three Sisters | Natalya Ivanovna(replacement) | Criterion Center Stage, Broadway | |
| 2000 | Uncle Vanya | Sonya Alexandrovna | Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2001 | Crimes of the Heart | Meg Magrath | Second Stage Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| The Women | Peggy | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 2003 | Dublin Carol | Mary | Atlantic Theatre Company, Off-Broadway | |
| 2005 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella Kowalski | Studio 54, Broadway | |
| On the Mountain | Sarah | Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway | ||
| 2006 | The 24 Hour Plays | Susan | American Airlines Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2012 | Detroit | Mary | Playwright Horizons, Off-Broadway | |
| 2016 | Love, Love, Love | Sandra | Roundabout Theatre Company, Off-Broadway | |
| 2024 | Doubt | Sister Aloysius Beauvier | Todd Haimes Theatre, Broadway |
Pam Dziewiontkowski, left, ... Eric Slovin and Amy Ryan ...
