DAVE RYERSON

Dave Ryerson had been deported from the United States, for which he blamed MacGyver. Although MacGyver remarked that Ryerson shouldn't even be in the same hemisphere unless he was in jail, Ryerson had set himself up with the crime syndicate in a third world Central American country. There he had allied himself with General Antonio Vasquez, the military head of the secret police who intended to make a power move within the government. Vasquez had an army behind him, and Ryerson was prepared to provide the arms. The two met at Ryerson's hacienda where Ryerson presented samples of his wares and guaranteed that his organization could deliver the light weapons in 30 days and the tanks within three months. Their secret meeting, however, was caught on film by Kate Conolly, an American photojournalist whom MacGyver had been sent to retrieve, and Kate and MacGyver were apprehended. Using plastique as a diversion, MacGyver and Kate were able to escape, and they intended to smuggle the photographic evidence out of the country, however Vasquez locked the country down to prevent them from crossing the border. Ryerson assured Vasquez that the problem could be fixed by combining their resources, but Vasquez threatened that if Ryerson couldn't make good on his promise, he would see to it that Ryerson was destroyed. As the army pursued MacGyver and Kate, Vasquez's men blocked off all approaches to the border, and MacGyver and Kate were forced instead to go through the blockade. Using homemade smoke bombs as a diversion, they rolled down a hill in a barrel, through the firing soldiers and into the river from which they could swim to safety in Mexico. Outraged when MacGyver and Kate eluded capture, Vasquez kept his promise and immediately gave the order that Ryerson be killed.

Portrayed by: John Vernon

Cross Reference: Central America, Kate Conolly, Diego Montoya, Antonio Vasquez

Episode Reference: The Gauntlet