Tim Ryan, a former reporter for the Honolulu Star and who covered Hawaii’s film and television industry for Variety, passed away in West Seattle, Washington, on June 20th after a long battle with illness. He was 80 years old.
Ryan was a senior entertainment writer for the Star-Bulletin from 1984 to 2006, reporting on Hawaii film and television productions and local and visiting celebrities.
After leaving the newspaper business, Ryan became the Hawaii film and television correspondent for Variety magazine, and also wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, People, Newsweek, and Islands magazines, where he was a contributing editor.
Ryan wrote for Variety about the Maui Film Festival, the Hawaii Film Festival, and the boom in film shoots such as “Lost” and “North Shore,” which were filmed in the Aloha State. He also wrote obituaries for notable figures in Hawaiian music, including Don Ho’s mother, Jerry Byrd, Del Courtney, and “Hawaii Five-O” actor Kam Vuong.
Ryan was born in Hollywood. His father is Timothy Thomas Ryan, whose long entertainment career also included an appearance in the 1953 classic film From Here to Eternity, which depicts military life in Hawaii before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Ryan was an avid surfer in Hawaii and moved to Washington after immigrating to the mainland in 2013. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Nancy Wilcox, and a daughter, Carly, who both live in West Seattle. They plan to scatter Ryan’s ashes at his favorite surf spot.
