Richard Ryen
Encyclopedia
Richard Ryen was an Hungarian born actor who was expelled from Germany by the Nazis prior to World War II.
Ryen was born Richard Anton Robert Felix in Hungary. He began working in Germany as an actor and later became a well-respected stage director at the Munich Kammerspiele
(Munich Chamber Theater). His first movie was 1932 comedy Die Verkaufte Braut (The Bartered Bride). The following year, he had a bit part in Muß man sich gleich scheiden lassen with S.Z. Sakall. In 1934, Felix made three more movies, Weiße Majestät, Peer Gynt
and Das Erbe von Pretoria in Germany before the Nazi's expelled him.
Felix emigrated to Hollywood and changed his name to Ryen. Ironically in Hollywood, as was the fate for so many German actors and actresses of that time, like Conrad Veidt
, he was mainly cast in Nazi roles, which kept him working during the war years.
Working for Warner Bros.
, his first movie was as an uncredited role as a Nazi radio station manager in the anti-Nazi movie Berlin Corespondent in 1942 which starred Dana Andrews
. Right after that movie, he received another small role as a German policeman in Desperate Journey
starring Ronald Reagan
, Errol Flynn
and Raymond Massey
. He appeared on screen for 15 seconds while he is checking a license plate.
Within weeks, at age 56, Ryen obtained the role which resulted in his most renowned performance, that of Colonel Heinze in Casablanca
, where he constantly had to tail his superior Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt). His scenes took four week to shoot and, at $400 a week, he earned $1,600.
After Casablanca, Ryen appeared in 16 more films. His first credited film in America was in 1943, The Constant Nymph
with Charles Boyer
and Joan Fontaine
. It was one of eight movies in which he appeared in 1943. He played the radio announcer in 20th Century Fox's Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas
. Later in the year, Ryen played a Nazi officer in the war drama The Cross of Lorraine
with Peter Lorre
and Hans Twardowski. In 1944, he appeared with John Qualen
in An American Romance and The Hitler Gang showing the rise of Adolf Hitler.
With the end of the World War II, German actors playing Nazis were not in demand and Ryen started to get less work. He had small roles in three movies in 1945; This Love of Ours starring Claude Rains
, Salome
, Where She Danced with Yvonne De Carlo
and Paris Underground
. Ryen appeared in one movie in 1946, playing a butler in Crack-Up with Pat O'Brien
. His last film, yet another small role, was the 1948 A Foreign Affair
with Marlene Dietrich
.
In 10 of the 19 films he made in America, including Casablanca, he was omitted from the credits. He also appeared on stage in America and after 1946 took guest roles at a theater in Basel
, Switzerland, before becoming a freelance writer.
Ryen died in Los Angeles on December 22, 1965 at the age of 80.
Ryen was born Richard Anton Robert Felix in Hungary. He began working in Germany as an actor and later became a well-respected stage director at the Munich Kammerspiele
Munich Kammerspiele
The Munich Kammerspiele is a successful German language theatre in Munich. The Schauspielhaus in the Maximilianstrasse is the major stage.-History:...
(Munich Chamber Theater). His first movie was 1932 comedy Die Verkaufte Braut (The Bartered Bride). The following year, he had a bit part in Muß man sich gleich scheiden lassen with S.Z. Sakall. In 1934, Felix made three more movies, Weiße Majestät, Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
and Das Erbe von Pretoria in Germany before the Nazi's expelled him.
Felix emigrated to Hollywood and changed his name to Ryen. Ironically in Hollywood, as was the fate for so many German actors and actresses of that time, like Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt
Conrad Veidt was a German actor best remembered for his roles in films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari , The Man Who Laughs , The Thief of Bagdad and Casablanca...
, he was mainly cast in Nazi roles, which kept him working during the war years.
Working for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, his first movie was as an uncredited role as a Nazi radio station manager in the anti-Nazi movie Berlin Corespondent in 1942 which starred Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
. Right after that movie, he received another small role as a German policeman in Desperate Journey
Desperate Journey
Desperate Journey is a 1942 American World War II aviation film starring Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Raymond Massey, Alan Hale and Arthur Kennedy, and the movie was directed by Raoul Walsh...
starring Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
and Raymond Massey
Raymond Massey
Raymond Hart Massey was a Canadian/American actor.-Early life:Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Anna , who was born in Illinois, and Chester Daniel Massey, the wealthy owner of the Massey-Ferguson Tractor Company. Massey's family could trace their ancestry back to the American...
. He appeared on screen for 15 seconds while he is checking a license plate.
Within weeks, at age 56, Ryen obtained the role which resulted in his most renowned performance, that of Colonel Heinze in Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
, where he constantly had to tail his superior Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt). His scenes took four week to shoot and, at $400 a week, he earned $1,600.
After Casablanca, Ryen appeared in 16 more films. His first credited film in America was in 1943, The Constant Nymph
The Constant Nymph (1943 film)
The Constant Nymph is a 1943 romantic drama film starring Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, Dame May Whitty and Peter Lorre...
with Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
and Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland , known professionally as Joan Fontaine, is a British American actress. She and her elder sister Olivia de Havilland are two of the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s....
. It was one of eight movies in which he appeared in 1943. He played the radio announcer in 20th Century Fox's Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas
Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas
Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas was a major war film made by Twentieth Century Fox in 1943. The film starred Philip Dorn, Anna Sten, and Martin Kosleck. The movie, originally titled The Seventh Column, was directed by Louis King based on a story by Jack Andrews, who also co-wrote the screenplay....
. Later in the year, Ryen played a Nazi officer in the war drama The Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is a 1943 war film about French prisoners of war held by the Germans in World War II. It stars Jean-Pierre Aumont and Gene Kelly and was adapted from Hans Habe's novel A Thousand Shall Fall.-Cast:*Jean-Pierre Aumont as Paul...
with Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
and Hans Twardowski. In 1944, he appeared with John Qualen
John Qualen
John Qualen was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles....
in An American Romance and The Hitler Gang showing the rise of Adolf Hitler.
With the end of the World War II, German actors playing Nazis were not in demand and Ryen started to get less work. He had small roles in three movies in 1945; This Love of Ours starring Claude Rains
Claude Rains
Claude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 66 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man , a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Mr...
, Salome
Salome
Salome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
, Where She Danced with Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-born American actress of film and television. During her six-decade career, her most frequent appearances in film came in the 1940s and 1950s and included her best-known film roles, such as of Anna Marie in Salome Where She Danced ; Anna in Criss Cross ; Sephora the...
and Paris Underground
Paris Underground
Paris Underground may refer to:* Paris Métro, the rail network of Paris* The Parisian branch of the French Resistance during the Second World War* Paris Underground , a 1945 war film starring Constance Bennett and Gracie Fields...
. Ryen appeared in one movie in 1946, playing a butler in Crack-Up with Pat O'Brien
Pat O'Brien (actor)
Pat O’Brien was an American film actor with more than one hundred screen credits.-Early life:O’Brien was born William Joseph Patrick O’Brien to an Irish-American Catholic family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as an altar boy at Gesu Church while growing up near 13th and Clybourn streets...
. His last film, yet another small role, was the 1948 A Foreign Affair
A Foreign Affair
A Foreign Affair is a 1948 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder. The screenplay by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by David Shaw adapted by Robert Harari...
with Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
.
In 10 of the 19 films he made in America, including Casablanca, he was omitted from the credits. He also appeared on stage in America and after 1946 took guest roles at a theater in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland, before becoming a freelance writer.
Ryen died in Los Angeles on December 22, 1965 at the age of 80.