 Timbrell was born in Kingston, Ontario on December 28, 1947, the younger brother of politician Dennis Timbrell.He was working as a stockbroker when he first began performing in the 1970s, and was given his drag name by friend and fellow performer Craig Russell.With the Great Impostors, Ryan toured extensively across Canada, giving many smaller communities their first exposure to drag and LGBT culture; in the 1980s, he accompanied Frankie Goes to Hollywood on their North American tour.