People named John Ritter

John Ritter Born September 17, 1948 in Burbank, California, USA Died September 11, 2003 in Burbank, California, USA (aortic dissection) Birth Name Johnathan Southworth Ritter Height 5' 11" (1.8 m) John Ritter was born in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. He was the son of legendary country singer/actor Tex Ritter and his wife, actress Dorothy Fay. The couple married in 1941 and had their first child, Tom Ritter, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. His first appearance on TV was in 1966 as a contestant on The Dating Game (1965) where he won a vacation to Lake Havasu, Arizona. After making his very first cameo appearance, he was induced to join an acting class taught by Nina Foch. His TV debut came playing a campus revolutionary on Dan August (1970) which starred Burt Reynolds and Norman Fell, who later starred with him on Three's Company (1976). Then he appeared as "Reverend Matthew Fordwick" on The Waltons (1971). He continued making more guest appearances on Medical Center (1969), M*A*S*H (1972), The Bob Newhart Show (1972), The Streets of San Francisco (1972), Kojak (1973), Rhoda (1974) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970). While working on The Waltons (1971), he received word that his legendary father had passed away, just a day after New Year's Day in 1974. The following year, in late 1975, ABC picked up the rights for a new series based on a British sitcom, Man About the House (1973). Ritter beat out 50 people, including a young Billy Crystal, to get a major role. The first pilot was trashed, and in order for it to be improved, Joyce DeWitt, an unknown actress, played the role of "Janet Wood", along with Suze Lanier-Bramlett as the dumb blonde, "Chrissy Snow". It did better than the first pilot, but the producers still needed a change and Suzanne Somers came to the show at the very last minute to play "Chrissy". The series, Three's Company (1976), was born. When it debuted as a mid-season replacement, it became a ratings hit. It focused mainly on his character, "Jack Tripper", a chef who pretended to be gay in order to share an apartment with two attractive ladies. Before playing "Jack Tripper" on the small screen, he also made his box office debut in the movie Nickelodeon (1976). Two years later, he worked with his close friend, Jenny Sullivan, in Breakfast in Bed (1977), and the following year, played "Pres. Chet Roosevelt" in the movie Americathon (1979). Also in 1977, he and his brother emceed the Annual United Cerebral Palsy Telethon which he continued to support for over 15 years. He also became more popular with movies such as Hero at Large (1980) and They All Laughed (1981). In 1980, when Three's Company (1976) was sold into syndication, the show became a ratings phenomenon. At the height of Ritter's popularity, he won a Golden Globe in 1983 for Best Performance by an Actor after being nominated twice for Best TV Actor in a Musical-Comedy Series and, one year later, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series after being nominated twice. By its eighth season, the show began to drop in the ratings and was canceled in 1984. After cancellation, he starred in its spin-off, called Three's a Crowd (1984), also starring Mary Cadorette, but it lasted for only one season. His first animated movie was that of a man turning into a dragon, whose job was to defeat "Ommendon" in The Flight of Dragons (1982). Spouse (2) Amy Yasbeck (18 September 1999 - 11 September 2003) ( his death) ( 1 child) Nancy Morgan (16 October 1977 - 1996) ( divorced) ( 3 children) Trivia (41) (September 18, 1999) Married Amy Yasbeck in Wilmington, Ohio. The two had lived together for a couple of years. During an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993), Ritter claimed that he chose the name "Vaughan Cunningham" for his character in Sling Blade (1996) based on an in-joke with the cast of Happy Days (1974). He was a scout (but not an Eagle). Had starred with his wife, Amy Yasbeck, in The Cosby Show (1984) episode, The Cosby Show: Total Control (1991), eight years prior to their marriage. Coincidently, they played a husband and wife expecting their first child. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. His talent for physical schtick was heralded by television comedy icon Lucille Ball, who hosted a tribute to John's talent on Three's Company (1976). John later appeared in an episode of Lucille's last comedy series Life with Lucy (1986) In that episode, Lucy claims that during the shooting of a scene, it was the third time in her entire career that she had to yell "cut" because he broke her up laughing. His father, cowboy star Tex Ritter, tried to steer him away from an acting career but lived long enough to rejoice in seeing him in a recurring role on The Waltons (1971), which was Tex's favorite television series. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 28, 1983. One of John's last public appearances was at Disney's Prime Time Weekend at Disney's California Adventure Park, 4 days before his death. Was the first guest of The Wayne Brady Show (2002). Died in the same hospital he was born in, which was the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. Father of four children: Jason Ritter, (born on Sunday, February 17, 1980), Carly Ritter, (born on Monday, March 1, 1982), Tyler Ritter, (born on Thursday, January 31, 1985) and Stella Ritter, (born on Friday, September 11, 1998). At the same time he attended Hollywood High School, he fell in love with The Beatles. His favorite musical group was The Beatles, and he even appeared on Ringo Starr's television special Ringo (1978). Paul Hennessy, Ritter's character on 8 Simple Rules (2002), was ranked #48 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [June 20, 2004 issue]. Was nominated for an Emmy Award, for best actor in a comedy, for 8 Simple Rules (2002) one year after his death, after appearing in 31 episodes. Died one day before the death of country music legend Johnny Cash. Incidentally, his father, Tex, had written several songs for Johnny during the 1950s and 1960s. Ended 20 year rift with his Three's Company (1976) co-star Suzanne Somers shortly before his death. On an episode of 8 Simple Rules (2002), he and the cast did a spoof of his situation comedy Three's Company (1976). In the spoof, he played Mr. Roper, Katey Sagal played Helen Roper, Kaley Cuoco and Amy Davidson played Janet and Chrissy respectively, Billy Aaron Brown played Jack and Martin Spanjers played Larry. At the end of the episode, Don Knotts who played Mr. Furley on Three's Company, reprised his role in one short scene. It was, not surprisingly, Ritter's favorite episode. On Three's Company (1976) and Three's a Crowd (1984), he played a straight man pretending to be gay. In Dangerous Perceptions (2005), his son, Jason Ritter, played a gay man pretending to be straight. His final film, Bad Santa (2003), was dedicated to his memory. After his death, the September 29 issue of People magazine featured two different covers - issues distributed to the central and southwest United States (except Florida) showed Johnny Cash who had also recently passed away, the rest displayed a photo of John Ritter taken by veteran photojournalist Michael Germana. Appropriately, he was waving goodbye. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 464-465. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. Good friends with Jenny Sullivan Paul Linke, Ralph Waite, Henry Winkler, and Richard Kline. Died on his youngest daughter's, Stella Ritter, fifth birthday. Was considered for the role of Dan Gallagher in Fatal Attraction (1987), which went to Michael Douglas. Attended and graduated from Hollywood High School in Hollywood, California in 1966. Best remembered by the public for his starring role as Jack Tripper on Three's Company (1976). John Ritter died one week before his fourth wedding anniversary to wife Amy Yasbeck. Additionally, Ritter passed away only 6 days before his 55th birthday. John Ritter's great-grandfather Benjamin Franklin Ritter (1834-1902) was an officer in the Confederate Cavalry (37th Texas Cavalry) during the War between the States. Before he was a successful actor, he worked with Harry Morgan in two movies of Ritter's early career: The Barefoot Executive (1971) and Scandalous John (1971). His acting mentor was the late Harry Morgan. Played the clarinet. Attended Walter Reed Jr. High School in North Hollywood, California. Lifelong friend of Kevin Tighe. Was 3 months younger than Phylicia Rashad. He guest-starred with her on an episode of The Cosby Show (1984). Initially misdiagnosed with a heart attack, he died from an aortic dissection, following surgery, at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, in Burbank, California.. [11 September 2003]. Director Peter Bogdanovich directed him in three feature films: Nickelodeon (1976), They All Laughed (1981), and Noises Off... (1992). He had earlier considered him for the role of Sonny in The Last Picture Show (1971) that went to Timothy Bottoms. His and Joyce DeWitt's favorite episode of "Three's Company" (1976)_ is titled "Up in the Air" (1982) where he had a long comic dance that earned him an Emmy nomination. His least favorite episode was "Chrissy and the Guru" (1978) where he imitated a walrus. Bret Anthony played him in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company(2003). Personal Quotes (3) I knew when I grew up, I always wanted to be a liar, and if you're in television, you're lying because you're just pretending to be yourself much like I'm doing now. The Harvey Lembeck Workshop was for me a support group. A place where I had the freedom to fall on my face.

John E Ritter of Brooklyn, Kings County, NY was born on December 7, 1929, and died at age 80 years old on December 22, 2009. John Ritter was buried at Calverton National Cemetery Section 32 Site 2434 210 Princeton Boulevard - Rt 25, in Calverton.

John Carol Ritter of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota was born on February 12, 1930, and died at age 78 years old on November 25, 2008. John Ritter was buried at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery Section 30 Site 637 7601 34th Avenue, South, in Minneapolis.

John W Ritter Jr of Kerrville, Kerr County, TX was born on May 9, 1920, and died at age 73 years old on December 16, 1993. John Ritter was buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery Section 21 Site 1873 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road, in San Antonio.

John A Ritter of Waukesha, Waukesha County, WI was born on August 1, 1911 in Hungary, and died at age 81 years old on May 10, 1993.

John J Ritter of Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, OH was born on April 22, 1918, and died at age 86 years old on January 1, 2005.

John A Ritter of Fort Thomas, Campbell County, Kentucky was born on October 30, 1914, and died at age 95 years old on October 8, 2010.

John W Jr Ritter of Bristol, Liberty County, Florida was born on October 11, 1903, and died at age 79 years old in July 1983.

John M Ritter of Plymouth, Marshall County, Indiana was born on December 10, 1911, and died at age 70 years old in October 1982.

John H Ritter of Dublin, Pulaski County, Virginia was born on July 13, 1911, and died at age 68 years old in May 1980.

John W Ritter of Winchester, Winchester City County, VA was born on October 6, 1927, and died at age 62 years old on August 16, 1990.

John F Ritter of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania was born on November 22, 1917, and died at age 63 years old in April 1981.

John J Ritter of Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware was born on September 9, 1916, and died at age 93 years old on February 21, 2010.

John J Ritter of Baltimore, Baltimore City County, MD was born on January 5, 1916, and died at age 80 years old in October 1996.

John G Ritter of Baltimore, Baltimore City County, Maryland was born on September 20, 1912, and died at age 68 years old in June 1981.

John F Ritter of Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ was born on October 22, 1922, and died at age 64 years old on October 3, 1987. John Ritter was buried at National Memorial Cemetery Of Arizona Section 23 Site 197 23029 North Cave Creek Road, in Phoenix.

John E Ritter of Croydon, Bucks County, PA was born on December 1, 1922, and died at age 79 years old on July 12, 2002.

John T Ritter of Reading, Berks County, PA was born on May 13, 1923, and died at age 73 years old on September 19, 1996.

John W Ritter of Emmaus, Lehigh County, PA was born on February 14, 1917, and died at age 92 years old on October 18, 2009.

John Leroy F Jr Ritter of Hughesville, Lycoming County, PA was born on May 11, 1922, and died at age 58 years old in June 1980.

John Frederick Ritter of New Jersey was born on May 27, 1904, and died at age 61 years old on October 4, 1965. John Ritter was buried at Beverly National Cemetery Section M Site 13B 916 Bridgeboro Road - Bridgeboro Road, in Beverly.

John A Ritter of Roseland, Essex County, NJ was born on October 18, 1906, and died at age 66 years old in November 1972.

John M Ritter of Middletown, Monmouth County, NJ was born on June 14, 1898, and died at age 83 years old in March 1982.

John F Ritter of Hazlet, Monmouth County, NJ was born on April 7, 1903, and died at age 68 years old in February 1972.

John W Jr Ritter of New York, New York County, NY was born on November 6, 1912, and died at age 54 years old on May 24, 1967. John Ritter was buried at Long Island National Cemetery Section 2Q Site 2681 2040 Wellwood Avenue, in Farmingdale.

John C Ritter of Wellsville, Allegany County, NY was born on July 16, 1925, and died at age 74 years old on January 21, 2000.

John Rudolph Ritter of Corpus Christi, Nueces County, TX was born on December 21, 1929, and died at age 55 years old on May 4, 1985. John Ritter was buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery Section MA3 Site 24 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road, in San Antonio.

John W Ritter Jr of Bronx, Bronx County, NY was born on October 21, 1911, and died at age 69 years old on August 31, 1981. John Ritter was buried at Calverton National Cemetery Section 3 Site 788 210 Princeton Boulevard - Rt 25, in Calverton.

John P Ritter of Harrison County, TX was born circa 1975. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John P. Ritter.