Ryan Dallion is one of two beneficiaries of Vendredi's Antiques. When he and his distant cousin, Micki, first inherited the store from their late Uncle Lewis, Micki was dead set against running the store. Ryan, by contrast was fascinated with the old collectibles and had dreams of riches. Prior to the inheritance, Ryan was a former art student interested in comic-book art who was searching for something meaningful to do with his life. He seemed to have found his niche in life when he took over the store. Over the two years he ran the store Ryan grew up quickly and matured into a responsible and upstanding young man. He learned to accept, and deal with, the threatening challenges associated with his shop-keeping duties. There was always danger and sometimes it was a losing game. He lost loved ones - three girlfriends, an ex-girlfriend, and his own father, Ray, with whom he was briefly reunited before he fell victim to the cursed objects. In several instances, he came close to losing Micki. In "The Shadow Boxer" Ryan went against his better judgment and temporarily turned into a potential killer when he wore the cursed boxing gloves to save her from the deranged Tommy Dunn. In "Tails I Live, Heads You Die" he put forward his artistic skills and created a mask of the powerful witch, Hiberia, and fooled the evil Sylvan into reviving his dead cousin. Ryan also put himself into danger on a number of occasions. In "Coven of Darkness" he succumbed to the occult powers of Lewis' partner, Liza Redding, and returned the witch's ladder to her. Luckily, Micki saved him by challenging the strength of her own powers against those of Liza. Finally, in "The Prophecies", Ryan's life took a sharp and drastic turn. He fell victim to the powers of Satan's angel, Asteroth, and was reduced to an elementary school-aged child. This, however, was a blessing in disguise. Ryan had had a troubled childhood and grew up with a guilt-ridden conscience over the accidental death of his younger brother Jimmy. With no recollection of the past, Ryan was given a second chance to relive his life. It was a new beginning.
The role of Ryan Dallion is played by the charming and multi-talented actor, John D. LeMay. John was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 29, 1962. He and his family relocated to Normal, Illinois in 1970 where he grew up and attended Illinois State University. After graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music, combined with a contract major in Musical Theatre, John moved to Chicago to perform in original musicals. This included an internship at "The Theatre Building". In Chicago, he worked with the Blind Parrot Theatre company and with Bailiwick Theatre where he appeared in "Room Service". He also landed some work doing commercials and earned his Screen Actors Guild card. From this, he was offered an opportunity to move to Los Angeles, California in February of 1985.
Prior to Friday the 13th: The Series, John appeared in two films. In 1985 he appeared in "THE NEW KIDS" and in 1987 he appeared in "THE COUCH TRIP". (View Pic) Later that year, John accepted the lead role in Friday the 13th: The Series, but after two successful seasons on the air, he decided to leave behind the role of Ryan Dallion in order to explore and pursue other acting roles. In 1993, he starred in the horror film "JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY". This was the ninth installment in the Friday the 13th movie series, which shared the same name with the television series, but was not related to the plot or storyline. Interestingly, "JASON GOES TO HELL" was the first Friday the 13th film produced by New Line Cinema instead of Frank Mancuso's Paramount Pictures, which also produced the TV series. Quite a coincidence that John's first major role after the series was also titled Friday the 13th, but the connection ends with the title. In the film, John played the role of Steven Freeman, the hero who battled the invincible monster, Jason Voorhees, to save his girlfriend Jessica and their baby.
The film was directed by Adam Marcus and brought in over $15 million domestically in revenue at the box office. Linda Rasmussen, film critic at the Allmovie Guide, writes "Jason Goes To Hell has more thought and ambition behind it than the usual horror sequels and manages to be both amusing and genuinely frightening." As well, the film has continually been given good customer reviews at on-line book and video seller Amazon.com, and is a fan-favorite, being the only Friday the 13th film available in an "Unrated" version with extreme gore shots in imaginative murder scenes. In 1996, John was cast in the independently-produced film "WITHOUT A MAP". Also titled "Dispatches From A Messy Journey", this film received an award for Best Director at the Los Angeles International Film Festival.
John's career has also expanded to include appearances in a myriad of commercials for popular consumer products such as E*Trade, Lee Jeans, Jeep Rodeo, Cross Pens, and Honey Nut Cheerios. Most notably, he appeared in a Cleo award-winning Timex watch spot in 1997 that was directed by Kinka Usher, who also directed this year's film MYSTERY MEN. John's most recent commercial is for the online company, MySAP.com, and has aired during the 2000 Academy Awards.
Download John's Commercial for MySAP.com (RealVideo)
In his spare time, John enjoys music, movies, photography, reading, and travel. He is also an outdoors enthusiast and has a passion for hiking, camping and various nature activities.
The 13th Hour: How did you get the role of Ryan Dallion? Robey did an after-hours impromptu audition in an elevator. What is your story?
John: I don't have any elevator stories to report but I did have an experience with a medium a few weeks before I got the audition that had me believing that fate was on my side. Ever curious about the occult, I ventured to a "spiritualist centre" with a friend. The reception was warm and we were asked to participate by writing a question on a piece of paper and put it in a bowl. Having been in Hollywood, I was curious about my career. What lay ahead? Was I in the right business? The event started when a middle-aged woman stepped up to the platform at the front of the room, sat down and started to channel a relationship with the beyond. I'm thinking, "This is kinda weird," but trying to remain open, and I hoped I would be lucky enough to have my query answered. My wish was fulfilled when she pulled my question out of the bowl and informed me that in the very near future I would receive a "job offer" from "back east". I would even be asked "to move back east" for this job. Back east meant New York City to me. With this experience fresh in my mind, I got the call to audition for a series shooting in Toronto. Hadn't thought of that. I prepared myself for every audition. There were four altogether. The last one was with Robey.
The 13th Hour: What was it like working on the set of Friday the 13th: The Series?
John: I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented people. It was like a family. I remain close to many people and have fond memories of even more.
The 13th Hour: According to Chris Wiggins, work hours were unusual and there were always pressures and time constraints.
John: It was guerilla filmmaking for sure. The show was very ambitious and tried to do a lot in the time devoted to each episode. It is a credit to the crew that we were able to accomplish what we did. Getting sick was the worse. I remember visits from a doctor and B12 shots just to get through the night. Time was money. I had to be there.
The 13th Hour: During the third season, there was much discussion in the media on the topic of violence in the series. What are your views on this issue?
John: At the time I was embarrassed to be on a show singled out in that way. I think it is a very valid issue. I do not believe in censorship. Guidance starts at home.
The 13th Hour: Was there too much violence in some episodes?
John: I thought the Vanity’s Mirror episodes (Vanity's Mirror & Face of Evil) were especially gruesome. They turned out to be the two most popular shows. Go figure.
The 13th Hour: What is your favourite episode from the series?
John: Do I have to pick just one? Impossible! Like the series' cursed objects, any given episode had an upside and a downside. The Baron's Bride is really one of my favourites - shot in black and white - with a terrific performance by Tom McCamus. [It had] inspired direction by Bradford May, whom I worked with previously on Twilight Zone. Scarlet Cinema - the werewolf legend is my favourite. Another favourite is Double Exposure when it was the beginning of Ryan's troubles with girlfriends dying off. Cool effects and premise.
The 13th Hour: Where were you during "The Butcher"?
John: Jack's show. I got the week off and went to New York or something.
The 13th Hour: Why did you choose to leave after the second season of the series?
John: I was very fortunate to get a chance at age 24 to realize my dream of becoming a professional actor on a popular television series. After two years, it was time to move on. An artist plays many roles. I wanted to do just that. I was trained to do that.
The 13th Hour: Can you share with us some of your experiences on working on the set of the film "Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday"? Did you do some of your own stuntwork?
John: I really loved doing the fights in this film. After two years on the series, I had developed pretty good stage combat skills working with many different stunt teams in Canada. I always enjoyed the process of filming a fight for camera.
Filming the final fight with Jason (staged by Jason himself, Kane Hodder) was a blast. Making the necessary punches and blows look authentic and motivated is always a challenge. A very fun challenge. I think Kane was impressed by how quickly I was able to process his blocking. Imagine, Jason teaching me how to hit him with a shovel. Just a blast!
The 13th Hour: Are there any similarities between Ryan Dallion and John D. LeMay?
John: Ryan was various parts of me. Some parts exaggerated, others not. On a purely surface level I have never been a big fan of comic books, but can appreciate the art. I had the opportunity very early on to have his history be somewhat similar to my own, e.g. Illinois State shirts and other various references. Ryan dresses a lot cooler than me.
The 13th Hour: Do you keep in touch with former cast members or other guest stars?
John: I do talk to Chris occasionally. He is a very important mentor to me as an actor and a person. The last time I saw Robey was at an art opening gallery in Los Angeles where I was participating in a group show. She had mentioned something about enrolling at the Royal Shakespeare Academy at that time. Very happy to hear of her title and family. I have not seen Steve. Again, the last time would have been at one of my art openings.
The 13th Hour: Do you ever watch some of the episodes as they are rerun on the Sci-Fi channel in the U.S.?
John: Sometimes I will be channel surfing and land on an episode. I have just started to enjoy watching them. I always found it difficult to watch myself in the past.
The 13th Hour: Have you gone back to Toronto since the series ended?
John: I haven’t been back in Toronto for far too long. The series was an entry for me to see and experience Toronto in a way that even natives would envy. I found the people very warm and fuzzy, if slightly provincial. Seriously, I really enjoyed my tenure there and made many lifelong friends. I am an "honourary" Canadian, you know.
The 13th Hour: What are your overall impressions of the series?
John: Great concept. Wish they would have kept the original name of "Friday's Curse".
CUPID'S QUIVER was the first episode that they shot.
The filming hours were unbelievably long for HELLOWE'EN and there was a change in director midway through the taping of the episode.
John suffered his first stunt injury in ROOT OF ALL EVIL. He injured his ankle after running and falling into a dry river bed.
John presented Ray Walston (TALES OF THE UNDEAD) with a Minnesota Twins World Series championship sweatshirt. He had flown to Minnesota for game seven of the 1987 World Series.
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In PIPE DREAM, John's real father was in town and acted as an extra in the background in the scene in which Ryan and Ray Dallion are walking down the corridors of Clemens Research and Development. |
The crew took over a travelling carnival for the duration of the shoot for WAX MAGIC.
Director Bruce Pittman made an appearance as the crazy patient behind a locked cell in AND NOW THE NEWS.
John's friend, Peter Jobin, co-wrote the script along with Timothy Bond and Ray Sallows for the episode EYE OF DEATH. During filming, John fell hard and bruised his derriere! "Insisting I do yet another stunt. Ride, handcuffed on the back of a horse with Robey driving. Ouch!"
| During the taping of "THE PROPHECIES I and II", John couldn't contain himself from laughing when Fritz Weaver carved the numbers 666 into his chest with his finger. "The goodbye scene with an unconscious Jack was literally the last scene I shot. It was hard to say goodbye." |  |
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John also shares with us his impressions of selected episodes. He has an amazing recollection of his tenure on the series and credits so many people with whom he worked on the set. Here's what he said:
SHADOW BOXER: "This was a chance for me to chew some scenery with a possessed glove on my hand."
HELLOWE'EN: "Working with R.G. Armstrong again, he was an incredibly good soul."
ROOT OF ALL EVIL: "Here I worked with an already very talented Rico Colantoni ("Just Shoot Me"). He was going to Yale drama school the next year."
TALES OF THE UNDEAD: "Working and learning from Ray Walston who was a very crafty actor."
FAITH HEALER: "Working with director David Cronenberg, it was an embarrassment of having to arrive at the scene of the crime on bicycles at the end of the episode."
TATTOO: "Working with guest star Keye Luke was an honour."
QUILT OF HATHOR: "Had to wear that funny Pennitite hat!"
SYMPHONY IN B#: "A neat concept. I've always liked the 'Phantom of the Opera' thing. Ely Pouget was hot! Lost another girl on that show."
READ MY LIPS: "A very well-told story in the hands of director Francis Delia."
THE SWEETEST STING: "A weird premise somehow works. Thank you David Winning."
EYE OF DEATH: "I loved the Civil War backdrop."
THE PLAYHOUSE: "It was always a pleasure working with writer/director Tom McLoughlin. How about that production design in the playhouse?"
BETTER OFF DEAD: "This was a twisted tale, and the first of many shows directed by Armand Mastroianni. He was very funny and easy to work with."
WEDDING IN BLACK: "The very talented director of photography, Rodney Charters, sits in the director's chair for this. Gotta love the snow globe thing."
John has appeared in two stage performances this year. The play "The Boys Next Door" was nominated for an Ovation Award for "Best Ensemble". The second show was an original piece produced by The Hidden Theatre Company, of which he is currently a member.
John is also busy working as a production designer on various commercials, photo shoots, industrials and theatrical productions. In addition, he continues to produce and show his artwork. His latest passion is for documentary filmmaking. And of course, he appears on television whenever he is given the opportunity.
-Conributed by Bucky
**Many thanks to Mr. LeMay for his support and assistance in completing this page.
