Werner Riedel was born February 11, 1930 in Freiburg, Germany to Gustav and Helene Riedel. He grew up in the midst of WWII in Germany and survived many hardships that shaped his character. At the age of 14, he began his life work as an electrician and later immigrated to the United States at the age of 29 to pursue the American dream. He worked for a local electrical company until he learned the English language, then founded Riedel Electric in 1963 as a Master Electrician. He starred in The Wednesday Morning Breakfast Club (2013).