John Ritter

Infobox actor


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birthdate = birth date|1948|9|17|
birthplace = Burbank, California, USA
deathdate = nowrap|death date and age|2003|9|11|1948|9|17
deathplace = Burbank, California, USA
birthname = nowrap|Johnathan Southworth Ritter
othername = Johnny Ritter
homepage =
yearsactive = 1971–2003
spouse = Nancy Morgan (1977–1996)
Amy Yasbeck (1999–2003)
emmyawards = Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1984 "Three's Company"
goldenglobeawards = Best Actor in a Television Comedy
1984 "Three's Company"
awards = People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program
1988 "Hooperman" Jonathan Southworth “John” Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003)cite news | author=Douglas Martin | title=John Ritter, 54, the Odd Man In 'Three's Company,' Is Dead | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E6DF1E3BF930A2575AC0A9659C8B63 | 13 September 2003 | accessdate=2008-03-17] was an American actor and comedian perhaps best known for playing Jack Tripper in the sitcom "Three's Company".

Early life

Ritter was born and raised in Burbank, California, the son of Dorothy Fay (née Southworth), an actress, and singing-cowboy, matinee-star Tex Ritter. He attended Hollywood High School, where he was Student Body President. He went on to the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity, majored in psychology and minored in architecture.

Career

"Three's Company"

Ritter headlined several stage performances before he was made a star by appearing in the hit sitcom "Three's Company" (the Americanized version of the 1970s British Thames Television series "Man About the House") in 1977, playing a single ladies' man and culinary student, Jack Tripper, who lived with two female roommates. Jack pretended to be gay to keep the landlords appeased over their living arrangement. The show spent several seasons near the top of the TV ratings in the U.S. before ending in 1984. Ritter went on for one more year on the spin-off "Three's a Crowd". The original series has been seen continuously in reruns. It is also available on DVD. During the run of the show, he appeared in the feature films "Hero at Large", "Americathon", and "They All Laughed". In 1978, he played Ringo Starr's manager on the television special "Ringo", and in 1982, played the voice of Peter Dickinson in "Flight of Dragons".

Previous to his role in "Three's Company", he occasionally appeared in the first five seasons of "The Waltons" on CBS as the Reverend Matthew Fordwick (1972–1976). He played a disturbed soldier/patient in one episode of M*A*S*H in 1973. He appeared in an episode of "Hawaii Five-0" & in the Charles Bronson film "The Stone Killer" alongside Norman Fell. He also guest starred in one episode of "The Cosby Show" in 1991.

After "Three's Company"

After "Three's Company", he appeared in a number of movies, most notably "Problem Child". He appeared in the Oscar-winning "Sling Blade" (almost unrecognizable as the discount store manager) and "Noises Off". He starred with Markie Post in the early-1990s sitcom "Hearts Afire" and on the 1980s police comedy-drama "Hooperman".

He starred in many made-for-TV movies including "Stephen King's It", "It Came From the Sky" in 1999 with Yasmine Bleeth and made guest appearances on TV shows such as "Ally McBeal," "Scrubs," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Felicity". He also provided the voice of the title character in the PBS animated children's show "Clifford the Big Red Dog", a role for which he received two Emmy nominations.

He played Claude Pichon in "The Dinner Party" (2000) at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway, which was written by Neil Simon. It ran for three hundred and sixty-four performances. Ritter won the Theatre World Award in 2001 for his performance in that work.

In 2002, he made a TV comeback with the ABC family sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" (later renamed "8 Simple Rules" following his death). His final two film appearances were as the store manager in "Bad Santa" (2003), starring personal friend Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac, and "Clifford's Really Big Movie". He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Personal life

He married twice, once to actress Nancy Morgan (married 1977-divorced 1996) and then to actress Amy Yasbeck (married 1999-his death). Yasbeck had played his wife or love interest in the first two "Problem Child" movies (interestingly, she played a different character in each movie). Yasbeck also played Ritter's wife in two sitcom appearances. In 1991, both were guest stars on "The Cosby Show", where Yasbeck played the in-labor wife of Ritter's basketball coach character. In 1996, Ritter guest starred on Yasbeck's sitcom "Wings" as the estranged husband of Yasbeck's character Casey. Ritter and Morgan had three children: Carly, Tyler, and Jason. He and Yasbeck had one daughter, Stella.

Death

On September 11, 2003, Ritter fell ill while rehearsing scenes for an episode of "8 Simple Rules". He was taken across the street to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he died later that day at the age of 54. The cause of death was an aortic dissection caused by a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Ritter's father had died of a heart attack almost thirty years earlier. Years later Ritter's wife testified in court that he had concerns for his own health because of the cause of his father's death. [http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/29/ritter.trial.ap/index.html Jury hears actor John Ritter's final message to wife] , a 2008 Associated Press story via CNN] He was interred at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Aftermath

"8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" was later retitled "8 Simple Rules" following Ritter's death and continued for two more seasons; his character, Paul Hennessy, was said to have died after collapsing in a grocery store. The network aired the three episodes of Season 2 that had been taped before his death. The remainder of the show's season dealt with the family trying to grapple with their patriarch's death. New male characters, played by James Garner and David Spade, were later added.

In 2004, he was given an Emmy nomination posthumously for playing Paul Hennessey in "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter". He lost to Kelsey Grammer for "Frasier". Upon accepting his trophy, Grammer's remarks included comments made in tribute and remembrance of Ritter.cite web
url= http://www.10news.com/entertainment/3742843/detail.html
title= 'Angels,' 'Sopranos' Win Big At Emmys
accessdate= 2008-02-29
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author= Tim Lammers
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date= 2004-09-20
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archiveurl= http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:9N9NpoAiQ3oJ:www.10news.com/entertainment/3742843/detail.html+%2B%22kelsey+grammer%22+%2Bspeech+%2B2004+%2Bemmy+%2B%22John+Ritter%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=us&client=firefox-a
archivedate= 2008-02-21
quote= "I'd like to take a minute to pay respect to John Ritter and his family", Grammer said of the actor, who received a posthumous nomination in the category. "He was a terrific guy and his death was a shock to all of us. He will be missed not only for his kindness, but for his work."]

His last films, "Bad Santa" and "Clifford's Really Big Movie", along with an episode of "Scrubs" and "King of the Hill", were dedicated in his memory.cite web
url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307987/trivia
title= Trivia for "Bad Santa"
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quote= This was John Ritter's final acting appearance in a movie and it is dedicated to his memory.] cite web
url= http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=6033
title= Clifford's 'Big Movie' will charm his small TV fans
accessdate= 2008-02-29
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author= Louise Kennedy
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quote= ...Clifford (voiced, as on TV, by the late John Ritter, to whom the movie is fittingly dedicated)...] On June 6, 2008 a mural of Ritter painted by Eloy Torrez was dedicated at Hollywood High School.

Wrongful-death lawsuit

Following his death, his widow Amy Yasbeck filed a $67 million wrongful death suit against radiologist Dr. Matthew Lotysch and cardiologist Dr. Joseph Lee. She alleged that Lee, who treated her husband on the day of his death, misdiagnosed his condition as a heart attack, and Lotysch, who had given him a full-body scan two years earlier, failed at that time to detect an enlargement of Ritter's aorta.The trial began on February 11, 2008, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. [cite web
url = http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4274522
title = "Trial Begins Over John Ritter's Death" | author = "Associated Press"
publisher = "ABC News"
accessdate = 2008-02-29 | date = 2008-02-11] On March 14, 2008, the defendants were found not responsible for Ritter's death by a jury vote of 9–3. [ [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=8f8550e0-9024-43e0-8e82-d2ee012f0486&entry=index&sid=rss_topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories E! News - Jury Clears Ritter Doctors - John Ritter | Henry Winkler ] ] Several other defendants have settled out of court for a total of $14 million, including $9.4 million paid by Providence St. Joseph. [cite web
url = http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ritter24jan24,0,1624567.story
title = "Ritter's family says he didn't have to die" | author = "Charles Ornstein"
publisher = "Los Angeles Times"
accessdate = 2008-02-29 | date = 2008-01-24]

Filmography

Awards & Nominations

Chlotrudis Awards
*1997: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" - "Sling Blade"

DVD Exclusive Awards
*2003: Nominated, "Best Audio Commentary, Library Release" - "High Noon" (shared w/Maria Copper & Tim Zinnemann)

Daytime Emmy Awards
*2001: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" - "Clifford the Big Red Dog"
*2002: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" - "Clifford the Big Red Dog"
*2003: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" - "Clifford the Big Red Dog"
*2004: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" - "Clifford the Big Red Dog"

Emmy Awards
*1978: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - "Three's Company"
*1981: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - "Three's Company"
*1984: Won, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - "Three's Company"
*1988: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - "Hooperman"
*1999: Nominated, "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" - "Ally McBeal"
*2004: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" - "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter"

Golden Globe Awards
*1979: Nominated, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" - "Three's Company"
*1980: Nominated, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" - "Three's Company"
*1984: Won, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" - "Three's Company"
*1987: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television" - "Unnatural Causes"
*1988: Nominated, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" - "Hooperman"

People's Choice Awards
*1988: Won, "Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program" - "Hooperman"

Screen Actors Guild Awards
*1997: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast" - "Sling Blade" (shared w/co-stars)

Hollywood Walk of Fame
*1983: "Star on the Walk of Fame" - 6627 Hollywood Boulevard; he and Tex Ritter were the first father-and-son pair to be so honored in different categories.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0000615|name=John Ritter
*ibdb name|id=74272|name=John Ritter
*findagrave|7863414

Persondata
NAME=Ritter, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Ritter, Jonathan Southworth; Johnny Ritter
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH=September 17, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH=Burbank, California, USA
DATE OF DEATH=August 11, 2002
PLACE OF DEATH=Burbank, California, USA