Shawn Ryan (born October 11, 1966 in Rockford, Illinois) is a writer, showrunner, producer and the creator of the acclaimed television series The Shield and The Unit. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and is married to actress Cathy Cahlin Ryan, who also stars on The Shield. They have two children.
Ryan got his start in television as a staff writer on the show Nash Bridges and served as producer on Angel before creating The Shield and The Unit. He has also written for each show he has worked on. In commentary tracks on The Shield DVD sets, Ryan frequently credits his experiences on the earlier shows with giving him valuable experience for his own creations.
His future projects include writing the script for the film adaptation of the video game, Max Payne, and producing the upcoming television series The Oaks.
