of the 101st Pathfinders unit Harve Presnell as George C. Marshall: The top US Army general, who orders the mission to recover Ryan. Bryan Cranston as Mac: A staff officer in the War Department David Wohl as T. E. Sanders: An officer in the War Department Nathan Fillion as James Frederick Ryan: A soldier mistaken for James Francis Ryan (credited as Minnesota Ryan) Paul Giamatti as William Hill: A war-weary sergeant in Neuville Ryan Hurst as Mandelsohn: A hearing-impaired paratrooper Max Martini as Henderson: A soldier in Ryan's company Leland Orser as DeWindt: A lieutenant from the 99th Troop Carrier Squadron Saving Private Ryans cast includes Glenn Wrage as Doyle, Corey Johnson as radioman, John Sharian as Corporal Loeb, and Rolf Saxon as Lieutenant Briggs—Allied soldiers at the Omaha beach landing. Demetri Goritsas and Dylan Bruno portray Parker and Private First Class Toynbe, respectively, who aid in the battle of Ramelle. Joerg Stadler appears as Steamboat Willie, a German prisoner. Amanda Boxer portrays Ryan's mother, while Harrison Young and Kathleen Byron portray the elderly James Ryan and his wife, Margaret. Technical advisor and Marine veteran, Dale Dye, appears as a War Department colonel. Production Concept Producer Mark Gordon was a fan of writer Robert Rodat's previous work on films such as Tall Tale (1995) and Fly Away Home (1996). The pair met in early 1995 to discuss potential projects and ideas. Within a few weeks, Rodat conceived of Saving Private Ryan. He was inspired by a gift from his wife, the historical book, D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II (1994), by Stephen E. Ambrose, recounting the events of the Normandy landings. Rodat visited a monument in Keene, New Hampshire dedicated to American soldiers killed in combat; he noticed the losses included brothers. He said, "the idea of losing a son to war is painful beyond description... the idea of losing more than one son is inconceivable." The Ryan family was based on the four Niland brothers detailed in Ambrose's book, who were deployed during WWII; two were killed and a third thought dead, per the Sole Survivor Policy, the fourth was returned from the war. Development To develop Saving Private Ryan, Gordon founded the independent film studio, Mutual Film Company, alongside producer Gary Levinsohn. Gordon brought Rodat's draft to Paramount Pictures executives; they responded positively and hired Rodat who wrote the script over the following