Born in 1916, he became a prolific radio, television and feature actor who appeared in virtually every American cult television series ever made with more than hundred acting credits from 1944 to 1980. He was married to actress Kim Stanley (by whom he had a child), from 1957 until 1964. He was the older brother of actress Olive Deering (who appeared in 1956 as Miriam, in "The Ten Commandments"). His last acting credit was in "Bogie", a made-for-television movie made in 1980. Ryder retired gradually from screen acting in the late 70's to concentrate on the stage, both as an actor and director.