Why Ryan From Yellowstone Looks So Familiar

Paramount Network's modern Western drama "Yellowstone" is not just big hit, but one of the last major TV series with a significant broadcast audience, as opposed to securing the majority of its viewership through streaming. The record-breaking Season 4 finale, for instance, attracted a viewership of 11 million people in total, all of whom tuned into its premiere in the traditional manner.

It's safe to say, then, that "Yellowstone" will likely remain on the air as long as it can continue to draw such considerable numbers of viewers. As a result of what may well become a lengthy run, the cast of "Yellowstone" should see its fair share of comings and goings in turn. One big potential source for new cast additions is the Dutton ranch bunkhouse, which is where the ranch's workers stay in a sort of shared living arrangement.

Ryan is a mainstay of the bunkhouse, starting in Season 1 and continuing through the balance of Season 4. If Ryan looks familiar, it's likely from one of actor Ian Bohen's numerous appearances on film and TV from over the course of the past few decades.

Ian Bohen got his start acting at a relatively young age, appearing early on in his career as a young version of the titular character in the 1994 film "Wyatt Earp" (via IMDb). A few years later, Bohen landed what is arguably one of his first weighty roles, as Johnny O'Brien in the Lifetime original series "Any Day Now."

Annie Potts and Lorraine Toussaint star in "Any Day Now" as two close friends of different races. This latter point is significant because the show explores race relations in their Birmingham, Alabama community in both a past and present timeline through the lens of their friendship. Boehn's character Johnny is the older brother of Potts' character M.E. O'Brien Sims. Bohen portrays the character in both of the series' timelines, appearing periodically from the show's first to its third season in episodes that premiered between 1998 and 2001.

One of Ian Bohen's next major TV acting gigs was in two episodes of "Mad Men" Season 1 that first aired in 2007. Boehn first appears as the free spirit Roy Hazelitt in Episode 6. Series lead Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is introduced to Roy as a friend of his mistress at the time Midge Daniels (Rosemarie DeWitt). Roy irritates Don pretty much from the get-go, both due to his radical political views clashing with Don's profession, and because he seems to be blatantly interested in Midge.

By his second appearance two episodes later, Don finds out that Midge and Roy are, in fact, romantically involved. This effectively puts a stop to her and Don's budding romance. In spite of their on-screen antagonism, however, Bohen and Hamm struck up something of a friendship during their time together on "Mad Men." Boehn revealed in an interview with German TV blog myFanbase that he and Hamm would play softball together at the time of the article's 2013 publication, a full 6 years after his "Mad Men" stint.

Arguably one of Ian Boehn's most well-known roles outside of his present-day "Yellowstone" stardom is that of werewolf Peter Hale in the MTV drama "Teen Wolf." Peter is part of a powerful werewolf family that alternately antagonizes and allies with protagonist Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and his friends. While Scott ends up befriending the younger Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), Peter proves to be a thorn in Scott's side for much of the series.

In an interview with Crookes Magazine, Bohen described his time on "Teen Wolf" as something of an educational experience. "It was like a film, acting and life school all-in-one every day," he said. While "Teen Wolf" concluded in 2017, Bohen starred opposite Hoechlin once again in the CW superhero drama "Superman & Lois." Bohen even told Looper that his and Hoechlin's experience on "Teen Wolf" informed their characters' relationship on "Superman & Lois." This newer dynamic between them was akin to "a very similar power struggle between Derek and Peter Hale," he said.

"Yellowstone" is, in fact, not the first project on which showrunner Taylor Sheridan has worked with Ian Bohen. The duo first collaborated on the underrated 2017 drama "Wind River," which Sheridan helmed in what is effectively his directorial debut. Although Sheridan technically directed a horror film called "Vile" six years prior, in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, he described his role on "Vile" as a favor to a friend, and "Wind River" as his first proper directorial work, making it a foundational project in Sheridan's filmography.

Bohen appears in "Wind River" as a cop in the Wyoming county in which the balance of the film takes place. According to TV Insider, Bohen is confirmed to be a part of the cast of the upcoming "Yellowstone" Season 5, so while Bohen's "Wind River" role is relatively minor, it nevertheless seems to have laid the groundwork for his work on "Yellowstone" which continues into the present day.