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Alfred Ryder, a seasoned actor known for his work in radio, Broadway, film, and television, as well as a distinguished stage director, was born Alfred Jacob Corn on January 5, 1916, in New York City. He began his professional acting career at the age of eight and attended the Professional Children's School in New York City. His Broadway debut came in 1929 at age 13, when he portrayed a "lost boy" in Eva Le Gallienne's production of J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan." Ryder trained under Benno Schneider, Robert Lewis, and Lee Strasberg. As an adult, he appeared in the 1938 Broadway production of "Our Town," along with several other Broadway shows before World War II, including the 1939 revival of Clifford Odets's "Awake and Sing!" For many years, he was the voice of Sammy in the radio serial "Rise of the Goldbergs."
During World War II, Ryder served in the Army Air Force and performed in the U.S. Army Air Force's Broadway gala "Winged Victory" in 1943. He made his film debut in 1944 as "PFC Alfred Ryder" in the movie adaptation of "Winged Victory." After the war, he appeared in films such as Anthony Mann's 1947 film noir "T-Men." On Broadway, he portrayed Oswald in the 1948 revival of Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts," Mark Antony in the 1950 production of "Julius Caesar," and Orestes in "The Tower Beyond Tragedy" the same year.
Ryder earned the unique distinction of being Laurence Olivier's understudy for the role of Archie Rice in the 1958 Broadway production of John Osborne's "The Entertainer." Olivier's performance is regarded as one of the 20th century’s finest, and Ryder was entrusted to take over if needed. He also appeared in the original 1960 Broadway production of Eugène Ionesco's absurdist play "Rhinoceros."
As a respected stage director, Ryder worked with companies such as Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage and made his Broadway directorial debut with "A Far Country" in 1961. He later directed two more Broadway productions: "The Exercise" in 1968 and the 1971 revival of August Strindberg's "Dance of Death."
Although accomplished in stage, film, and radio, Ryder is best remembered as a prolific and versatile television character actor. He made over 100 TV appearances, including notable roles on "Star Trek" (1966) as Prof. Robert Crater in the series' first aired episode "The Man Trap," two appearances on "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964) as the ghost of Nazi U-boat commander Capt. Gerhardt Krueger, and as The Alien Leader on "The Invaders" (1967). Ryder retired from screen acting in 1976 to focus on stage work as both actor and director. He passed away on April 16, 1995, in Englewood, New Jersey, at age 79. He was married to actress Kim Stanley from 1957 to 1964, with whom he had one child, and was the brother of actress Olive Deering.
