# Ann Ryerson
**Ann Ryerson** (born 1949) is an American actress and writer whose screen career, begun in [Robert Altman](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-altman) ensemble films of the late 1970s, has run for five decades across film and television. She is known for playing Grace in the comedy *Caddyshack* (1980), Katie in *Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives* (1986), Dr. Katherine James in *Minority Report* (2002), and Nan Funkhouser, a recurring character on *Curb Your Enthusiasm* from 2004 to 2011.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) |
| Height | 5′ 11½″ (1.82 m)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/bio/) |
| Comedy background | Former member of the Second City troupe; 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award nominee for Actress in a Principal Role for *East of Edens* at the Second City Theatre, Chicago[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/bio/) |
| First film roles | Victoria Cory in *A Wedding* (1978); Skye 147 Veterinarian in *A Perfect Couple* (1979)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson) |
| Signature film roles | Grace in *Caddyshack* (1980); Katie in *Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives* (1986); Dr. Katherine James in *Minority Report* (2002)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) |
| Regular television role | Pvt. Carol Winter on *Private Benjamin*, seasons 1 through 3 (1981–1983)[4](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-46849/filmografia/) |
| Recurring guest role | Nan Funkhouser on *Curb Your Enthusiasm*, 10 episodes, 2004–2011[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) |
| Recent credit | Dominique de Marché, *Palm Royale* season 2, one episode (2025)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) |
## Comedy beginnings
Ryerson trained and performed with the Second City improvisational comedy troupe in Chicago. According to one television-profile biography, she performed there with [Harold Ramis](https://www.edgepedia.org/harold-ramis) in the 1970s.[5](https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/cast/15522766/ann-ryerson/) While at the Second City Theatre in Chicago she was nominated for a 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role for her performance in *East of Edens*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/bio/) Filmweb's profile adds that she was a member of the comedy group Second City.[6](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Ann%2BRyerson-139806)
Her first screen work came in Robert Altman films: she played Victoria Cory in *A Wedding* (1978), the role of Skye 147 [Veterinarian](https://www.edgepedia.org/veterinarian) in *A Perfect Couple* (1979), and Dr. Ruth Ann Jackie in Altman's *HealtH* (1979/1980, credited by AlloCiné to 1979).[4](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-46849/filmografia/) • [7](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-46849/filmographie/) • [8](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=245006) An early television credit is the TV movie *Getting Married* (CBS, 1977–78).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson)
## Film career
Ryerson's film work spans five decades and mixes comedy with genre pictures. She played Grace in the sports comedy *Caddyshack* (1980) with [Chevy Chase](https://www.edgepedia.org/chevy-chase), and Katie in the horror film *Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives* (1986).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson) Through the 1980s and 1990s she appeared in *Troop Beverly Hills* (1989) with [Shelley Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/shelley-long), *Three of Hearts* (1993) with [William Baldwin](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-baldwin), and *Blast From the Past* (1999) with Brendan Fraser, in the role of Woman Guest #1.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson)
From the 2000s onward her film parts continued in major studio releases: Dr. Katherine James in the science-fiction film *Minority Report* (2002) with [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise), a Nurse Practitioner in the romantic comedy *First Daughter* (2004) with [Katie Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-holmes), and an elderly woman on a bus in *Constantine* (2005) with [Keanu Reeves](https://www.edgepedia.org/keanu-reeves).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson) • [6](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Ann%2BRyerson-139806) Later film credits include a hospice visitor in *The Go-Getter* (2007).[9](https://thetvdb.com/people/274735-ann-ryerson) The TV database also credits her as a writer on the 1999 television feature *Caddyshack: The 19th Hole*, on which she additionally appears as herself.[9](https://thetvdb.com/people/274735-ann-ryerson) She also supplied the uncredited voice of Mrs. Gloria Vandefeller in the TV short *The Pound Puppies* (1985).[10](https://hanna-barbera.fandom.com/wiki/Ann_Ryerson)
## Television career
Ryerson's most substantial early television role was Pvt. Carol Winter, which she played in all three seasons of the CBS series *Private Benjamin* (seasons 1981–1982 and 1982–1983).[4](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-46849/filmografia/) • [7](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-46849/filmographie/) From the mid-1980s through the 2000s she accumulated a long list of single-episode guest appearances on American series, including *Benson* (1979 listing on Metacritic), *Murphy Brown* (CBS, 1988–1998), *Designing Women*, *Empty Nest*, *Family Matters*, *Dream On*, *ER*, *The West Wing* (1999, as Chief Justice), *Boston Legal* (2008, as Caryl Hutchins), *Desperate Housewives* (2008, as Debby), and *Mad Men* (2009, as Elsa Kittridge).[11](https://www.metacritic.com/person/ann-ryerson/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson)
Her best-known recurring television part is Nan Funkhouser on *Curb Your Enthusiasm*, sister-in-law figure to the character Marty Funkhouser; the role ran from 2004 through 2011 across seasons 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, in 10 episodes by AlloCiné's count.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) • [7](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-46849/filmographie/) Later guest roles include Dr. Margaret Goodwin on *Grey's Anatomy* (season 8, episode "The Girl with No Name", 2012), Andrea on *Good Trouble* (2022–2023, two episodes), and [Dominique](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominique) de Marché in one episode of *Palm Royale* season 2 in 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/) • [12](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/35307/ann-ryerson)
## Assessment of the record
Metacritic aggregates her television work at an average career score of 70 across 27 series, with 13 of 17 scored shows positive, 4 mixed, and none negative; her highest-scored credit is *Mad Men* (Metascore 86) and her lowest *Family Matters* (51).[11](https://www.metacritic.com/person/ann-ryerson/) On Rotten Tomatoes, the highest-rated film she appears in is *Caddyshack* at 73 percent and the lowest-rated is *Blast From the Past* at 59 percent.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson)
## References
1. [Ann Ryerson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/)
2. [Ann Ryerson Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ann_ryerson)
3. [Ann Ryerson Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753246/bio/)
4. [Ann Ryerson: Filmografía, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-46849/filmografia/)
5. [Ann Ryerson TV Schedule, Movies & Shows, On TV Tonight](https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/cast/15522766/ann-ryerson/)
6. [Ann Ryerson, Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Ann%2BRyerson-139806)
7. [Ann Ryerson: Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-46849/filmographie/)
8. [Películas de Ann Ryerson, abandomoviez.net](https://www.abandomoviez.net/db/persona.php?id_persona=245006)
9. [Ann Ryerson, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/people/274735-ann-ryerson)
10. [Ann Ryerson, Hanna-Barbera Wiki](https://hanna-barbera.fandom.com/wiki/Ann_Ryerson)
11. [Ann Ryerson, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/ann-ryerson/)
12. [Ann Ryerson, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/35307/ann-ryerson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Ro to Sa*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license