
Schroder's mother quit her job to raise him and his sister Dawn.

His paternal grandparents were German immigrants. 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. He made his directorial debut with the film Black Cloud (2004) and has produced several films and television series including the anthology film Locker 13 and the war documentary The Fighting Season. He has continued acting as an adult, usually billed as Rick Schroder, notably in the Western miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989) and on the police drama series NYPD Blue (1998–2001).

As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film The Champ (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went on to become a child star on the sitcom Silver Spoons (1982–87). Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker.
