First Name
John
Last Name
Ritter
Birthday
1948-09-17
Height
71
Build
Average
Eye Color
Blue
Hair Color
Brown - Dark
Birthplace
Burbank, California, USA
Zodiac Sign
Virgo
Place of Death
Burbank, California, USA
Cause of Death
Aortic Dissection
Ethnicity
White
Religion
Roman Catholic
Claim to Fame
The Waltons. Three's Company, 8 Simple Rules, Bad Santa, Clifford The Big Red Dog, Sling Blade, Hearts Afire
Gender
Male
Nationality
American
Role ID
Actor/Actress, Producer, Soundtrack
Has Detailed Data (New)
1
Profile Bio Text
The son of a legendary country singing musician/actor Tex Ritter and his wife Dorothy Fay, who was also an actress, John Ritter started out his life as Jonathan Southworth Ritter, who was born in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. After his father married Dorothy Fay Southworth in 1941, the couple had their first child, Tom Ritter, who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and became a lawyer, but John was destined to follow in his parents footsteps. He was enrolled at Hollywood High School, where he was a student body president, and became the most popular student ever.
After graduation from high school, he later attended the University of Southern California, where he majored in Psychology and minored in Architecture. Also in 1966, before attending college, his first appearance on TV was as a contestant on "The Dating Game" (1965), on which he won a vacation to Lake Havasu, Arizona. After making his very first cameo appearance and a couple of years of attending school, he was induced to join an acting class taught by Nina Foch. He changed his major to Theater Arts, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama. He also studied acting with Stella Adler at the Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop. Between 1968 and 1969, he appeared in a series of stage plays in England, Scotland, Holland and in Germany. His father was entertaining troops in Germany at the same time that his son was performing at an air base there.
His acting debut was on an episode of "Hawaii Five-O" (1968), playing various roles. On "Dan August" (1970), he played a campus revolutionary, in a film which also starred Burt Reynolds and Norman Fell, who later starred with him on "Three`s Company" (1977). Then, he appeared as "Reverend Matthew Fordwick" on "The Waltons" (1972). His guest-starring spot was so popular, that he was interested in having a recurring role on the show. But, 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), and, once again, a preacher on "Rhoda" (1974), "Mary Tyler Moore" (1970), among many others. While working on "The Waltons" (1972), 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 on a British sitcom about, "Man About the House" (1973) and 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", the following year, along with Susan Lanier as the dumb blonde, "Chrissy Snow". Unlike the first pilot, it did better 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" (1977), was born. When it debuted as a mid-season replacement, it became a ratings hit, like many other sitcoms of the 70s, and it focused mainly on his character, "Jack Tripper", an admirable chef who lived in an apartment with two attractive ladies, while pretending to be gay.
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 (1978), 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 (a neurological condition particularly close to their hearts because of Tom`s triumph over it) and racked up millions of dollars for the cause in the 15+ years he ran the telethon. He also became more popular with movies such as Hero at Large (1980) and They All Laughed (1981). In 1980, when "Three`s Company" (1977) was sold into syndication, the show became a ratings phenomenon, during its last 2 years. However, 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 the cancellation, he starred in its spin-off, called "Three`s a Crowd" (1984), 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), on which he played "Peter Dickinson". The following year, he came back to series television as "Detective Harry Hooperman
High School
Hollywood High School, Hollywood, California (1966)
University
Psychology, University of Southern California (1970)
Full Name at Birth
Jonathan Southworth Ritter
Page Display = 2 (Legacy)
1
Count - Awards
20
Occupation Text
Actor, Comedian, Voice-Over Artist, Producer, Soundtrack
Father
Tex Ritter
Mother
Dorothy Fay
Brother
Tom Ritter
Friend
Billy Bob Thornton, Nancy Morgan, Kaley Cuoco, Katey Sagal, Jenny Sullivan, Paul Linke
Favorite Bands
The Beatles
Official Websites
www.imdb.com/name/nm0000615/
Friend
Markie Post
Family Member
Jason Ritter (Son), Carly Ritter (Daughter), Tyler Ritter (Son), Stella Ritter (Daughter)
Friend
Suzanne Somers, Joyce DeWitt, Richard Kline, Don Knotts
Favorite Accessories
Wrist Watches
Friend
Henry Winkler, Amy Davidson, Martin Spanjers
Favorite TV Shows
Saturday Night Live
Dating Preference
Beautiful Girls
Friend
Martin Short, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Audra Lindley, Norman Fell, Priscilla Barnes, Jenilee Harrison, Ann Wedgeworth
Favorite People
Robert Redford
Favorite Colors
Blue
Friend
Lucille Ball
Favorite People
Lucille Ball
Distinctive Feature
The Clumsiness
Age
54
Favorite People
Walt Disney
Favorite Accessories
Colorful Shirts, Hawaiian Shirts
Friend
Tom Hanks
Favorite People
Mary Tyler Moore
Favorite TV Shows
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Favorite People
John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Dick Van Dyke
Favorite TV Shows
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Friend
Tom Bergeron
Wikipedia Text
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor, comedian, and voice-over artist. Ritter was best known for playing Jack Tripper on the hit ABC sitcom Three's Company, for which he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award in 1984.
Friend
Lorna Luft
Current Partner
215
Middle Name
Southworth
Relationship Status
Married
Died
2003-09-11
Family Member
Benjamin Franklin Ritter (Great-Grandfather)
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Has Videos
1
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