Losing a Beloved Character: Remembering Ryan McNeil

Actor Scott Reeves brought the character of Ryan McNeil to life on “The Young and the Restless” in 1991.

The character was a hero, saving his on-again/off-again wife Victoria (Heather Tom) from his crazy ex-wife, Tricia (Sabryn Genet). After a decade on the show, Reeves left to pursue other interests. Let’s take a look back at the life and tragic death of Ryan McNeil.

Starting at the Bottom
Ryan arrived in Genoa City and quickly found a job in the Newman Enterprises mailroom, hoping to work his way up to the executive suite. While there, he met another go-getter hoping to make her way to the top too – Victoria Newman. They started dating even though she was much younger, displeasing her father Victor (Eric Braeden), to say the least. At the same time, Ryan began seeing Nina (Tricia Cast), who showered him with expensive gifts. Feeling the need to keep up with Nina, Victoria had sex with him and subsequently had to be tested for AIDS and pregnancy.

Moving On
They eventually eloped with Ryan continuing to seek satisfaction in the bedroom from Nina. When his marriage to Victoria failed, Ryan moved in with Nina and her young son. When she became pregnant, he felt he had to marry her. After she miscarried, Ryan realized he truly loved Nina and became devoted to her and Phillip. Then, Nina cheated on him with her editor, Cole Howard (Victoria’s new husband). When Cole rejected her, Nina spun out of control. It didn’t help to see Ryan dating a cute, young, and thin woman.

Out of Control
After another attempt to fix things with Nina failed, Ryan reunited with Tricia, causing Nina to snap. She held a gun on the woman until Ryan arrived to save the day. Nina held a gun to her head, wanting to end it all but Ryan stepped in to stop her. Nina was accidentally shot in the spine and forgot everything. Ryan was charged with attempted murder. After Nina remembered her suicide attempt, Ryan was set free. Nina grew stronger and filed for divorce.

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Movin’ On Up
Ryan enjoyed success at Newman and even earned Victor’s trust. He later married the much younger Tricia. She became jealous of his attention toward his adopted son, Phillip, and stopped taking her birth control pills. After getting pregnant, she quickly miscarried – and had a subsequent breakdown, turning on Ryan. Tricia was institutionalized and eventually signed divorce papers.

 
A Second Chance
The tie between Ryan and Victoria was as strong as ever, and they made plans to remarry. On their wedding day, Tricia locked Victoria in a closet and wore an identical dress to walk down the aisle. Victor freed Victoria and got everyone out of the church as Tricia held a gun. All hell broke loose when Victoria entered the church. Tricia went to shoot her, and Ryan stepped in front of her to take the bullet, saving her life. He held on for a few days, and then sadly died in Victoria’s arms.
 

 
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