John Barker (27 March 1953 – 3 April 2025), known professionally as John Saint Ryan, was an English actor, horse trainer and equestrian. He appeared in supporting roles in film and television. His more memorable characters include Fergus in the 1997 Fox television series Roar and Myles Standish in Disney's 1994 adventure drama film Squanto: A Warrior's Tale.
Early life Born John Barker in Burnley, Lancashire, on 27 March 1953, he attended Rosehill Junior School and later became a bookseller and martial arts teacher in the town. He ran and instructed a Muay Thai gym in Preston called "Fighting Fit" prior to getting a role as a stunt double for Sean Connery on the film set The Medicine Man.
Career Ryan made his acting debut in 1983 in G.B.H. and soon landed a small role in the hit British soap opera Emmerdale (then known as Emmerdale Farm) as Jameson. Ryan appeared in theatre productions of Far from the Madding Crowd and A Streetcar Named Desire, and in supporting roles in films and television series including Coronation Street (as Charlie Whelan), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, General Hospital, Murder, She Wrote, Cybill, and the made-for-TV movie The Heidi Chronicles. Ryan also played the main antagonist Cyborg in American Cyborg: Steel Warrior.
Ryan moved to California in the early 1990s. He owned and operated the "Red Rose Ranch", a working horse and cattle ranch near Inyokern, California, where he raised, boarded, and sold horses. He trained horses and riders in both dressage and western riding; Ryan's specialty was the doma vaquera style of western riding, a Spanish form of competitive Western pleasure riding. He won multiple national and international titles in the sport, and wrote books and produced videos on the doma vaquera style.
Personal life and death Saint Ryan married Joyce and had three sons. One of them, Samuel Barker (born 1980), is a lighting director and has won Emmy Awards for his work on The Voice. Saint Ryan was a keen supporter of Burnley Football Club.
Saint Ryan died of a heart attack on 3 April 2025, at the age of 72.
Filmography Film +YearTitleRoleNotes1983Target Eve IslandColonel Mitri Petrovich1983G.B.H.Big Nick Rafferty1986GunpowderPlatoon Commander1986Into the DarknessJeff ContiAlso writer1991Cover UpMini Barman1991Delta Force 3: The Killing GameSergei1992The Eye of SatanCamille Muhamed1992The AssassinatorChris McCallAlso writer and producer1993American Cyborg: Steel WarriorCyborg1993CIA II: Target AlexaRalph Straker1994Squanto: A Warrior's TaleMyles Standish1996The SweeperRichman2009The ButcherIllegal Surgeon2019Out of the WildTom Essex
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1986ScenePolicemanEpisode: "Too Nice by Half!"1986MacGyverEddieEpisode: "The Assassin"1986The Twilight ZoneWilliamEpisode: "The Storyteller"1987EmmerdaleC.S.M. Jameson2 episodes1987A Small ProblemPolicemanEpisode: "We'll Meet Again. Don't Know Where. Don't Know When"1987FloodtideCapt. Gibson3 episodes1987Coronation StreetBarman1 episode1988Wipe OutJean-Marie Leletton3 episodes1989Screen TwoNightclub ManagerEpisode: "Angel Voices"1992The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesMister MaxEpisode: "Austria, March 1917"1993SeaQuest DSVCaptain Finius WidemanEpisode: "Knight of Shadows"1993–1994Coronation StreetCharlie WhelanRegular Role; 59 Episodes1995The Heidi ChroniclesNickTelevision film1995No Greater LoveTitanic Officer1995Murder, She WroteJack Conroy2 episodes1995Babylon 5TroublemakerEpisode: "A Day in the Strife"1995M.A.N.T.I.S.DruidEpisode: "Ancestral Evil"1995, 1996GargoylesKing Arthur2 episodes1996–1997EZ StreetsBo6 episodes1997L.A. HeatYuriEpisode: "For Whom the Bullet Tolls"1997Dark SkiesColonel Dimitri MironovEpisode: "Strangers in the Night"1997CybillRyanEpisode: "Show Me the Minnie"1997RoarFergus13 episodes1998PlayersMartin DaggettEpisode: "Wrath of Con"1999CrusadeTechnomageEpisode: "The Memory of War"2000Buffy the Vampire SlayerColonel George HavilandEpisode: "Superstar"2001The AgencySAS LeaderEpisode: "Pilot"2012RevolutionBandit #2
References
External links
Red Rose Ranch homepage