Veteran Actor Peter-Henry Schroeder Dies at 90 After Storied ‘Star Trek’ to ‘Argo’ Career
Here we go again—another Hollywood legend cashes out permanently, and I get to spell out the obvious: Peter-Henry Schroeder, the guy who popped up in everything from Star Trek to Argo, has died at 90. According to the New York Post obituary, Schroeder passed away quietly at his Los Angeles home on June 15, surrounded by family. Deadline and People Magazine both confirm the date, noting that no foul play or controversy shadowed his final days—just a long life finally winding down.
Look, I don’t want to be the one to say it, but if you thought he was a household name, you clearly blinked during your last dozen movie credits. Schroeder’s claim to fame was a solid character actor’s résumé: he played the brusque Starfleet ensign in one early 1980s Star Trek episode (thanks to Memory Alpha for the precise episode memo) and later had a blink-and-you-miss-it part as a CIA analyst in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winner Argo (per Variety’s set report). Hardly blockbuster lead roles, but the man hustled through over 50 film and TV appearances from the ’60s through the 2000s.
I told you so: the grind of bit parts and late-night set dinners builds a career, and Schroeder stuck it out long after most would’ve bailed. According to People Magazine, he also turned up in cult TV series like Magnum, P.I. and lent his voice to a handful of animated features. His colleagues praised his professionalism; Variety quotes director Steve Kloves calling him “a reliable guy who made every scene better.” That’s showbiz code for “he knew his lines and didn’t complain.”
Despite never headlining a franchise, Schroeder earned respect for slide-in performances that filled scenes with sly humor or steely resolve. Sure, you could argue that today’s actors get shiny social-media deals instead of stable paid gigs—but hey, times change. His legacy isn’t flash; it’s the unsung backbone of projects you’ve loved and forget the names of.
Investor, family man, pop-culture cameo artist—that’s Peter-Henry Schroeder in a nutshell. He’s off to that big director’s chair in the sky, probably rolling his eyes at CGI aliens. And just like that, another reel goes silent. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, People Magazine, Variety
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
