Ryan (given name) in 2005–2007. "Ryan" as a male given name has persisted in popularity for the thirty-year period of 1976–2006 in the 10th to 20th rank; the name appeared in the top thousand for the first time in 1946 and gained steadily in popularity until leveling off in the 1970s. Its ascendency in the U.S. has been traced, in part, to its use by American actor Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal who used the stage name Ryan O'Neal in the popular series "Peyton Place" from 1964 to 1969. "Ryan" gained popularity as a given name for girls in the 1970s. It first appeared
Neal Israel the 70's and 80's. During the 1980s, Neal married director Amy Heckerling. They had one daughter, Mollie, before divorcing in 1984. Neal Israel Neal Israel (born July 27, 1945) is an American actor, screenwriter, film and television producer and director best known for his comedic work in the 1980s for films such as "Police Academy", "Real Genius", and "Bachelor Party". Israel started his career on the Broadway stage as assistant to legendary director George Abbott. After working at the New Dramatists Guild and the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference he came to LA, and was an executive at both ABC and