Ryan McNeil is a young, ambitious executive at Jabot Cosmetics who seems unable to enjoy a fulfilling personal life. Several years ago, he married Victoria Newman, daughter of the wealthy and powerful Victor Newman. During the marriage, Victoria suffered from frigidity, which prompted Ryan to turn to Nina Webster for physical satisfaction. When Ryan and Victoria's marriage ended, Ryan immediately moved in with Nina and her son Phillip. Meanwhile, Ryan's selfish behavior earned him the wrath of Victor Newman.

Living with Nina, however, proved to have a positive effect on Ryan and he slowly grew into a responsible and mature young man. When Nina announced she was pregnant, Ryan quickly married her. But early into the marriage, Nina had a miscarriage.

Nevertheless, Ryan chose to remain married to her and even adopted Phillip. Sadly, Ryan's marriage to Nina slowly unraveled. Poor timing had a lot to do with it. When Nina was anxious to have a baby, Ryan was opposed and vice-versa. Ryan's unresolved feelings for Victoria also added to the tension.

When Nina's self-destructive side resurfaced, and she began spending her evenings in bars, flirting with strange men, Ryan took Phillip and they temporarily separated. Soon after, he became romantically involved with Tricia Dennison, a beautiful college student. Nina was devastated by the affair. In a tense confrontation with Ryan, a suicidal Nina accidentally shot herself. After Nina recovered from her gunshot wound, she announced her intentions to divorce Ryan, leaving the door open for him to freely pursue Tricia.

This biography is courtesy of Sony's Official Y&R Page.