Ricky Schroder

Early life

Schroder was born in Brooklyn, New York City and raised on Staten Island, the son of Diane Katherine Bartlett and Richard John Schroder, both former employees of AT&T. His paternal grandparents were German immigrants. Schroder's mother quit her job to raise him and his sister Dawn. As a child, Schroder appeared in many catalogs, and by age six, he had appeared in 60 advertisements.

Career

As a child actor

Schroder made his film debut as the son of Jon Voight's character in The Champ, a 1979 remake of the 1931 film of the same title. He was nominated for, and subsequently won, a Golden Globe award in 1980 for Best New Male Star of the Year in a Motion Picture, becoming at age nine the youngest Golden Globe winner in history. Following his role in The Champ, Schroder was removed from school by his parents in the third grade to focus on his career. He moved to Los Angeles with his mother, but his father remained in New York City and kept his job with AT&T. The following year, Schroder appeared in the Disney feature film The Last Flight of Noah's Ark, with Elliott Gould. He also starred as the title character in Little Lord Fauntleroy, alongside Sir Alec Guinness.

Schroder then became well known as the star of the television series Silver Spoons. He played a starring role as Ricky Stratton, the son of a wealthy and eccentric millionaire, Edward Stratton. His performance earned him two Young Artist Awards. He struggled with his identity as an actor when Silver Spoons ended. Prospective roles were rare, and he was mainly designated to play boyish-looking teenagers or blond-haired heartthrobs. Schroder avoided the vices of other child actors and attempted to establish himself as a more mature actor, dropping the "y" from his first name. His mother enrolled him in Calabasas High School, but Schroder had trouble adjusting to the new environment.

In 1988, a year after Silver Spoons ended, Schroder starred in a prime time CBS TV movie based on a true story, the drama Too Young the Hero, as 12-year-old Calvin Graham who passes for 17 to enlist in World War II. He also appeared as the guest timekeeper in Wrestlemania 2 for a match between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy. In 1990 he was in Across the Tracks as the younger brother of Brad Pitt.

Later career

After graduating from high school, Schroder enrolled in Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. His co-starring role in the Western miniseries Lonesome Dove and its sequel, Return to Lonesome Dove, helped him to be recognized in more mature roles. His roles as Danny Sorenson on three seasons of NYPD Blue, nurse Paul Flowers in Scrubs, Dr. Dylan West on Strong Medicine, and Mike Doyle on the 2007 season of 24 worked to cement that perception with the viewing audience. In the fall of 2002 he hosted The New American Sportsman on ESPN2, a remake of the 1965–1986 outdoor TV series The American Sportsman.

Schroder made his directorial debut in 2004 with the feature film Black Cloud, a drama also written by him about a Navajo boxer. Black Cloud received positive receptions at film festivals, including two awards at the Phoenix Film Festival and Best Director award for Schroder at the San Diego Film Festival. a song by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss. The video garnered Schroder an award for Best Music Video at the 2005 Nashville Film Festival, while at the 2005 CMT Music Awards, the video won an award for Collaborative Video of the Year, and Schroder won for Director of the Year.

In 2009, he directed the adventure horror film Hellhounds. He guest-starred in a January 2011 episode of ABC's No Ordinary Family.

With his production company, Ricky Schroder Productions, he produced Starting Strong, a series of recruiting commercials for the U.S. Army shot as reality series in 2013. His production company has well as other documentaries The Fighting Season, My Fighting Season, and The Volunteers. Schroder spent 110 days in Afghanistan with the US military in 2014 to capture footage. In 2013 he directed, produced, and starred in the TV film Our Wild Hearts for the Hallmark Channel, and the following year co-produced and starred in the anthology film Locker 13. He portrayed the father of Dolly Parton in the 2015 TV film Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors and its sequel, Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.

Personal life

Schroder married Andrea Bernard on September 26, 1992. They have four children: Holden, Luke, Cambrie, and Faith. They all appeared in Schroder's Our Wild Hearts (2013). In 2000, Schroder joined his wife's church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is not very vocal about his religious beliefs, and said in a 2015 interview: "I don't consider myself an extremely religious person, but at the same time I do believe there is higher power." He and his wife separated in 2016, and she filed for divorce later in the year.

He is an avid hunter and fisherman, having learned to shoot at the age of 10 from actor William Holden on the set of The Earthling. For 16 years he owned a 15,000-acre ranch near Grand Junction, Colorado, adjacent to Grand Mesa National Forest.

A 2004 news article called Schroder "one of the few out-of-the-closet conservatives" in the entertainment industry. Schroder has long identified as a Republican, and he spoke at the 2000 Republican National Convention, although he said in 2010 that he did not align with either major political party.

In 2019, Schroder was arrested twice within a month for suspicion of domestic violence; no charges were filed.

In November 2020, Schroder contributed $150,000 towards the $2million bail fund for Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year old charged and later acquitted in the shooting deaths of two people during the August 2020 unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In May 2021, Schroder created controversy when he uploaded a video to social media that showed him harassing a Costco employee regarding the company's policy and California mandate requiring face masks or coverings to be worn inside stores during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly after the incident, Schroder began receiving backlash, causing him to upload a second video apologizing to the employee, stating that while he stood by his beliefs on the mask mandate, he was sorry if he hurt the employee's feelings.

On March 6, 2022, while traveling with the U.S. freedom convoy, Schroder entered the Dwight D. Eisenhower museum without the mask, and upon being notified that masks are required for entry, he called the security guard a "Nazi" for enforcing "evil federal government" mask rules. He left the building without an incident.

Schroder married Julie Trammel on July 9, 2025, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

• 2004: Black Cloud
• 2009: Hellhounds
• 2013: Our Wild Hearts

Awards and nominations

References

Bibliography

• Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell. pp. 379–380.

References

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6. Davis, Clayton. (February 17, 2021). "These Potential Golden Globes Winners Would Make History".
7. Morrison, Mark. (1999-07-11). "A little Schroder. A little wiser. Former child star Rick (a k a Ricky) Schroder's grown-up role on ''NYPD Blue'' could earn him a nod in next week's Emmy nominations.". [[USA Today]].
8. "Too Young the Hero (1988) - Overview".
9. Keller, Joel. (April 25, 2013). "Ricky Schroder on public puberty, NYPD Blue, and re-watching his child-actor roles".
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11. Freedman, Lew. (September 25, 2002). "Schroder stands out in new role".
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17. (April 12, 2005). "Urban, Wilson Take Top CMT Awards Honors".
18. Barton, Steve. (2010-02-01). "Exclusive Clip: Hellhounds". [[Dread Central]].
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22. Ferdinando, Lisa. (June 3, 2013). "New reality-style TV series lets potential recruits live Army life".
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25. Hinkley, David. (2013-03-09). "Ricky Schroder and daughter Cambrie star in 'Wild Hearts,' a predictable, heartwarming movie about a girl and a horse". [[Daily News (New York).
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38. Finn, Natalie. (May 2, 2016). "We Know What Growing Pains' Kirk Cameron Believes, but Do You Ever Wonder What Other '80s Idols Think About Religion & Politics?".
39. Jensen, Erin. (May 1, 2019). "Ricky Schroder, former child star and 'NYPD Blue' actor, accused of domestic violence". [[USA Today]].
40. (May 22, 2019). "No charges for actor Rick Schroder after abuse reports". [[San Diego Union-Tribune]].
41. Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas. (November 20, 2020). "Kyle Rittenhouse, Accused of Killing 2 in Kenosha, Freed on $2 Million Bail". [[The New York Times]].
42. (November 21, 2020). "Ricky Schroder poses with accused Kenosha shooter after helping fund his $2 million bond".
43. (November 25, 2020). "Rick Schroder explains bail for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse: 'It made me mad'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
44. "Kyle Rittenhouse won't get his gun back but will get a share of his $2 million bail money". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
45. (May 18, 2021). "California not dropping indoor mask mandate until June 15". CBS News.
46. (May 16, 2021). "Former Child Star Ricky Schroder Harasses Costco Employee Over Masks".
47. Prigge, Matt. (May 17, 2021). "Ricky Schroder Offered a Not-Quite-Apology to the Costco Employee He Harassed in a Controversial Video".
48. (May 17, 2021). "Former US child star apologises after filming his own supermarket mask rant".
49. Mazza, Ed. (March 7, 2022). "Former Child Star Ricky Schroder Has Public Meltdown Over Museum Mask Rule".
50. (March 6, 2022). "PatriotTakes".
51. Speakman, Kimberlee & Erin Clack. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/nypd-blue-star-ricky-schroder-marries-theater-actress-julie-trammel-in-seaside-cabo-wedding-our-hearts-are-grateful/ar-AA1LckHS “NYPD Blue” Star Ricky Schroder Marries Theater Actress Julie Trammel in Seaside Cabo Wedding: 'Our Hearts Are Grateful'], ''[[People (magazine). People]]'', August 25, 2025.
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57. (2010-08-28). "Award Winners".