Richard Revy, a multifaceted individual, embarked on a journey of self-discovery by studying philosophy in Vienna and honing his craft as a stage actor in Munich, Vienna, and Zurich. He went on to become a respected senior director at Stadttheater Zurich and Munich Kammerspiele, and his talents were in high demand as he directed plays in various cities across Bohemia, Berlin, Breslaw, Dresden, and Frankfurt/Main.
As the 1930s began, Revy's acting career took off, and he appeared in a few German movies. He also worked as an acting trainer, playing a significant role in the development of Lotte Lenya's career. However, as the Nazi regime rose to power, Revy knew he had to flee. He escaped to Switzerland in 1934 and eventually made his way to Hollywood in 1938, where he adopted the name Richard Ryen.
Ryen's Hollywood career was marked by a series of short and sometimes unnoticeable roles. However, his most notable performance was that of Col. Heinze in the iconic film Casablanca (1942),where he had to constantly tail his superior Major Strasser, making him a prominent figure in the movie. His scenes took four weeks to shoot, earning him a substantial $400 a week.
In almost all of his Hollywood performances, Ryen had short and sometimes hardly noticeable roles. However, in The Cross of Lorraine (1943),his part as Lieutenant Schmidt of a POW camp in Germany was more distinctive. He appeared as a comic relief in three scenes, speaking both German and English dialogue. In one memorable scene, he orders his subordinates Sgt. Berger and Cpl. Daxer to organize catering and clothing across the French border, and in his final sequence, he is upset with Peter Lorre for delivering him French lingerie that is much too small for his opulent wife.
After his last US performance in 1948, Richard Ryen found himself unemployed and returned to Switzerland to take up theater work again. He spent his retirement years in California, reflecting on a life well-lived and a career that had taken him on a journey across continents.
