John Joseph Patrick Ryan was born, raised, and educated in New York City. After a stint in the Merchant Marine, he returned to his hometown to earn a very good living as a car salesman.

His first love has always been painting but he realized the difficulty in achieving recognition in the art field regardless of one’s talent. So he found himself at the Neighborhood Playhouse on an acting scholarship. Thus emerged Jack Lord.

Jack turned out excellent performances in several plays and films but didn’t really attract the public’s eye until he created the character of cowboy Stoney Burke on television in 1962.

Since that time Jack Lord has collected a huge following of both fans and enemies. He’s a "method" actor and a "ham"; an egotist and a perfectionist. These qualities put together make him a very difficult man to work with, but a very good man to watch perform.

Jack and his wife, Marie De Narde, a former fashion designer, travel back and forth between their homes in California and Hawaii where Jack’s current series Hawaii Five-0 is based. They’ve been married for 19 years and have no children because they insist they only need each other.

Jack’s accomplished in various areas besides acting. His art works hang in museums and galleries; he’s putting together a book of photographs of the Hawaiian Islands that he took himself; and he’s an expert fencer. One might say he’s a ‘Jack’ of all trades, and even ‘Lord’ of some!