Bryan, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, is known mostly for his theater work, but he has had a number of starring roles in movies and television as well. His performance in the stage adaptation of Saturday Night Fever earned him one of New York City's more unusual honors, a caricature at Sardi's.

Bryan currently appears in the AMC series Bryan as Salvatore, a closeted homosexual advertising executive. Bryan, who is himself openly gay, has played gay roles on film (Jeffrey and Kiss Me, Guido) and stage (La Cage aux Folles).

He is openly and happily gay. In 2005, Bryan told "Playbill" that he used to worry about the effect of coming out on his career:

"When I played the lead in Sunset Blvd., the movie of Jeffrey was coming out, and I was petrified. Back then, every agent told you that if you want to play a straight role, you don't come out. This was before Ellen [DeGeneres] came out. But now I couldn't give a rat's ass. It's normal to be gay."

Bryan lives with his partner, Tom Cianfichi (left in the picture), an events planner. Bryan and Tom have been together more than eighteen years; they met while performing Evita in Akron, Ohio. Bryan was playing Che Guevara, and Tom was the understudy for Magaldi. Bryan and Tom own a home decor and furnishings store, Hazelnut, on Magazine Street in New Orleans.