Robert Ryan

Imposing, ruggedly handsome lead who made his film debut in "Golden Gloves" (1940) and signed with RKO two years later. Ryan hit his stride in the late 1940s playing a string of psychopathic or hard-boiled types, notably the anti-Semitic murderer in "Crossfire" (1947) and the over-the-hill pug in the classic boxing drama, "The Set-Up" (1949). He went on to appear in a host of films through the mid-70s, often giving fine performances in decidedly mediocre vehicles. Ryan was memorable as William Holden's buddy-turned-nemesis in Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969).