Ryan, Will (William Z. Ryan)

RYAN, Will
(William Z. Ryan)

PERSONAL

Raised in Cleveland, OH.

Career: Actor, writer, composer, and songwriter. Musician in Willio & Phillio (a humourous musical group), stand–up comedian, president of Snappy Toons Amusement Company (design and production company), affiliated with Will Ryan and Company, Ltd., also a speaker at various venues.

Awards, Honors: Daytime Emmy Award nominations (with others), outstanding children's program, 1997 and 1998, and outstanding preschool children's series, 1999, and WGA Award nomination (with others), Writers Guild of America, children's script, 1998, all for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss; Annie Award nomination, International Animated Film Society, 2001, for "The Elmo Aardvark Song," Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective!

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Animated Series:

Rabbit, Welcome to Pooh Corner, The Disney Channel, beginning 1983.

Voices of Footloose and Rock 'n Roll, G.I. Joe (animated; also known as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero ), syndicated, 1983–1985.

Voices, Dumbo's Circus (live action and animated), The Disney Channel, beginning 1985.

Voices of various characters, including Gad, Unwin, Zook, and ogres, The Gummi Bears (animated), NBC, 1985–1989.

Voices of Grubby, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin (animated), syndicated, 1987–1988.

Voice of Black Pete and other characters, Duck Tales (animated), syndicated, 1987–1992.

Voices of various characters, including Gad, Unwin, Zook, and ogres, Disney's Gummi Bears/Winnie the Pooh Hour (animated), ABC, 1989–1990.

Voice of Yogi Bear, Yogi's World (animated), c. 1996.

Voice of Willie the Giant, House of Mouse (animated), ABC, beginning 2001.

Contributed voices to the Internet series Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective! (animated), Renegade Cartoons, http://www.renegadecartoons.com.

Television Appearances; Animated Movies:

Voice of Scrooge and others, Sport Goofy in Soccermania, 1986.

Television Appearances; Animated Specials:

Voice of Dinki, Witch–Cat, CBS, 1985.

Voice of Hugh Pine, Hugh Pine, CBS, 1985.

Voice of Robbut, Robbut: A Tale of Tails, CBS, 1985.

The Bollo Caper, ABC, 1985.

Cap'n O. G. Readmore's Jack and the Beanstalk, ABC, 1985.

Voices of Goofy and Pete, Down and Out with Donald Duck, NBC, 1987.

Cap'n O. G. Readmore's Puss in Boots, ABC, 1988.

Disney's Totally Minnie, NBC, 1988.

Voice of mouse, Ralph S. Mouse, ABC, 1991.

Appeared as the voice of Wordsy, The ABC Weekend Special, ABC.

Television Appearances; Episodic; Animated:

Voice of Pete, Mickey & Tinkerbell, 1982.

Wildfire, CBS, 1986.

Voice of Pete, "Hey Mickey!, Goof Troop," Mickey Mouse Works: The Unique Show, 1995.

Contributed voices to episodes of animated series, including the voice of Brian Calvin, The Danie and Lemmy Show; voice of Chuck, Teen Wolf, CBS; voice of man at handcuffs factory, "Cuffed Together," The Angry Beavers, Nickelodeon; voice of Mr. Jinks, Yogi's World; voice of Papa Bear, The New Looney Tunes Show, The Cartoon Network; and voice of Willie the Giant, Villain Toon Jam.

Television Additional Voices:

The Smurfs (animated series; also known as Smurfs' Adventures ), NBC, c. 1981–1990.

The Wuzzles (animated series), CBS, 1985–1986 ABC, 1986–1987.

The Story of Santa Claus (animated special), CBS, 1996.

Courage the Cowardly Dog (animated series), The Cartoon Network, beginning 1999.

Television Work; Other:

(With others) Producer, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (live action and animated), Nickelodeon, 1996–1997.

Created the Internet series Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective! (animated), Renegade Cartoons, http://www.renegadecartoons.com.

Radio Appearances:

Various voices, including Eugene Meltener, Harlow Doyle (a private eye), and Officer David Harley, Adventures in Odyssey, c. 1987–2000.

Film Appearances:

Voices of collector for the poor, Pete (the ghost of Christmas past), and Willie the Giant (the ghost of Christmas present), Mickey's Christmas Carol (animated), Buena Vista, 1983.

Voice of Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (animated; also known as A Day for Eeyore ), Buena Vista, 1983.

Voice of Digit, An American Tail (animated), Universal, 1986.

Voice of Bertram the Gander, The Mother Goose Treasury (short musical; also known as The Mother Goose Video Treasury ), J2 Communications/Little Red School House, 1987.

Voice of Petrie, The Land before Time (animated), Universal, 1988.

(As William Z. Ryan) Voice of Mr. President, The Wizard of Speed and Time (animated), Shapiro–Glickenhaus Entertainment, 1989.

Voice of seahorse, The Little Mermaid (animated), Buena Vista, 1989.

Stanley and the Dinosaurs (short animated film), 1989.

Voice of Stuey, Rock–A–Doodle (animated), Samuel Goldwyn, 1991.

Gnorm, A Gnome Named Gnorm (also known as The Adventures of a Gnome Named Gnorm and Up-world ), PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, 1992.

Voice of Boss, A Troll in Central Park (animated), Warner Bros., 1994.

Voices of hero and Reverend Rat, Thumbelina (animated; also known as Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina ), Warner Bros., 1994.

Voice of Royal and Tika, The Pebble and the Penguin (animated), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1995.

Voice of Willie the Giant, Where the Magic Begins (animated), 1995.

Voice of Willie the Giant and others, Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse (animated), Buena Vista, 2001.

Voice of Papa Bear, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (animated; also known as Looney Tunes Back in Action: The Movie ), Warner Bros., 2003.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Elmo Aardvark: Vintage Cartoon Sound Tracks, Will Ryan and Company, Ltd., 2000.

WRITINGS

Teleplays:

Commander Toad in Space (special), ABC, 1993.

(With others) The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (episodic; live action and animated), Nickelodeon, various episodes from 1996–1997.

Wrote the Internet series Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective! (animated), Renegade Cartoons, http://www.renegadecartoons.com. With others, wrote unaired episodes of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss (live action and animated).

Television Music:

"Goin' Quackers," Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (special), CBS, 1984.

Ralph S. Mouse (special), ABC, 1991.

Elmo Aardvark: Vintage Cartoon Sound Tracks (includes "The Elmo Aardvark Song"), Will Ryan and Company, Ltd., 2000.

Songwriter for various recording artists.

Writings; Other:

Wrote for the line of Teddy Ruxpin toys, c. 1980s.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Animation World, April, 2000.