Rydell was born on October 28, 1926, in Jamestown, New York. Following service in the Marine Corps, Rydell moved to New York City, where he met Jerome Hill. As an actor and director, Rydell appeared in both films and on stage. His stage credits include performances in Lady in the Dark with Kitty Carlisle, the original off-Broadway cast of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and the off-Broadway revival of By Jupiter, where he was cast as Hercules. He can be heard on the Ben Bagley recordings saluting Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, and DeSylva, Brown and Henderson, as well as on the aforementioned By Jupiter and Walter Mitty soundtrack recordings.
