Ryan McNeil is a fictional character from The Young and the Restless, an American soap opera on the CBS network. Created by William J. Bell, the character was portrayed by Scott Reeves, who made his first appearance On June 26, 1991, as a businessman who wanted to "work his way to the top of the corporation ladder". The character gained popularity upon his relationship with Victoria Newman (Heather Tom), which initially received criticism due to the characters' age gap. He was also involved with Nina Webster (Tricia Cast) and the insane Tricia Dennison (Sabryn Genet). Reeves, who described Ryan as a "go-getter" who was "shrewd" and a "charmer", found his seduction storyline with Victoria hard to "play out", considering her age. In October 2001, the actor announced his exit from The Young and the Restless, stating that it was to pursue other projects. The producers kept quiet about the storyline surrounding his exit, although confirmed that he would depart "in a big way". Within the story, Ryan prepared to remarry Victoria but Tricia, his ex-wife, attempted to shoot her and Ryan took two bullets and died from the injury. Throughout his time on the soap opera, Reeves became popular with fans as one of the genre's leading men, garnering multiple awards and nominations.