Schroder was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, and raised on Staten Island, New York City. He is the son of Diane and Richard Schroder, both former employees of AT&T. Schroder\'s mother quit her job to raise him and his sister Dawn, taking him to photo shoots when he was only three months old. As a child, Schroder appeared in many catalogs, and by age six, he had appeared in 60 advertisements.[citation needed]\n', '

Schroder made his film debut as the son of Jon Voight\'s character in The Champ, a 1979 remake of the 1931 film of the same name. He was nominated for, and subsequently won, a Golden Globe award in 1980 for Best New Male Star of the Year in a Motion Picture. Following his role in The Champ, Schroder was removed from school by his parents in the third grade to focus on his career. He moved to Los Angeles with his mother, but his father remained in New York City and kept his job with AT&T. The following year, Schroder appeared in the Disney feature film The Last Flight of Noah\'s Ark with Elliott Gould. He also starred as the title character in Little Lord Fauntleroy, alongside Alec Guinness.\n', '

Schroder then became well known as the star of the television series Silver Spoons. He played a starring role as Ricky Stratton, the son of a wealthy and eccentric millionaire, Eddie Stratton. His performance earned him two Young Artist Awards. He struggled with his identity as an actor when Silver Spoons ended. Prospective roles were rare, and he was mainly designated to play boyish-looking teenagers or blond-haired heartthrobs. Schroder avoided the vices of other child actors and attempted to establish himself as a more mature actor, dropping the "y" from his first name. His mother enrolled him in Calabasas High School, but Schroder had trouble adjusting to the new environment.\n', '

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