Johnathan Southworth "John" Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for playing Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively. Don Knotts called him the "Greatest physical comedian on the planet".

Ritter's final films Bad Santa, Clifford's Really Big Movie and Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up were all dedicated in his memory.

Early life

John Ritter was born in Burbank, California, the son of Dorothy Fay, 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, and majored in psychology and minored in architecture. In 1966 at the age of 18, John was a contestant on "The Dating Game". While still in college, John traveled to England, Scotland, Holland and Germany to perform in plays. After his 1970 graduation from University of Southern California his first TV acting experience was a campus revolutionary in the TV series, "Dan August". This show starred Burt Reynolds and Norman Fell. In 1971 John got his first movie "The Barefoot Executive". John had quite a few TV show guest appearances, as well Hawaii Five-O, The Streets of San Francisco, M*A*S*H, Kojak.

Early television career

The Waltons

John Ritter was on The Waltons from October 26, 1972 to December 23, 1976 as Rev. Matthew Fordwick and in all John Ritter was on eighteen episodes. He was not a regular weekly cast member as a result he could have other obligations until the end of December 1976 when he bid the Waltons farewell for more permanent role on Three's Company.

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 lives with two female roommates. The females originally were Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). While in later years Janet remained, Chrissy left and other characters replaced her tenancy, including Chrissy's cousin, Cindy (Jenilee Harrison), and unrelated roommate, Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes). Jack pretended to be gay to keep the landlords appeased over their living arrangements. 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 and 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.

Hooperman

Hooperman was John's next TV series and it aired from 1987 to 1989. In the show John played Detective Harry Hooperman who inherits a run down apartment building in need of help. He hires Susan Smith Debrah Farentino. A relationship follows and Hooperman must juggle work, love, plus the antics of Bijoux the dog. John was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his work on Hooperman in 1988. However, he never won an Emmy or a Golden Globe yet he did win a People's Choice Award for this role.

Hearts Afire

In 1992-95 Ritter returned to TV for 3 seasons as John Hartman, aide to the Senator in "Hearts Afire". This series starred Markie Post as Georgie Anne Lahti and Billy Bob Thorton as Billy Bob Davis.

Film career

After his time on TV he appeared in a number of movies, most notably Problem Child and its first sequel. He appeared in the Oscar-winning Sling Blade (playing a gay, kindhearted discount store manager) and Noises Off and played the lead role in Blake Edwards' 1989 film Skin Deep. He starred with Markie Post in the early-1990s sitcom, Hearts Afire, and in the 1980s police comedy-drama Hooperman.

He starred in many made-for-TV movies, including Gramps (1995), co-starring with Andy Griffith, Stephen King's It, Danielle Steel's Heartbeat with Polly Draper, and 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. 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 starred alongside kickboxing actor Olivier Gruner for the buddy cop film Mercenary.

Stage Plays

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.

Later career

8 Simple Rules

In 2002, he made a TV comeback with the ABC family sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (later retitled 8 Simple Rules following his death).

Final Works

His final live action film appearance was as the store manager in Bad Santa (2003), starring personal friend Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac. Ritter's last film Clifford's Really Big Movie was as his title character Clifford the Big Red Dog and released seven months after his death. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Personal life

He married twice, first to actress Nancy Morgan (married 1977 – divorced 1996) and then to actress Amy Yasbeck (married 1999 – his death). Yasbeck had played variously his wife and love interest in the first two Problem Child movies. 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 felt ill while rehearsing scenes for the second season of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was taken across the street to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he died later that evening, at approximately 10:45 pm PST. He was 54 years old, six days short of his 55th birthday. This was also the birthday of Ritter's then five-year-old daughter Stella. The cause of his death was an aortic dissection caused by a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect. His father Tex Ritter had died of a heart attack almost thirty years earlier. Years later, Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck testified in court that he had concerns for his own health because of the cause of his father's death. Ritter was interred at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His mother died less than two months later.

Following his death, Yasbeck filed a $67 million wrongful death suit against radiologist Dr. Matthew Lotysch and cardiologist Dr. Joseph Lee. She accused Lee, who treated Ritter on the day of his death, of misdiagnosing his condition as a heart attack, and Lotysch, who had given him a full-body scan two years earlier, of failing at that time to detect an enlargement of Ritter's aorta. "Both sides agree that his true condition—an aortic dissection, which is a tear in the largest blood vessel in the body—was not identified until right before his death." The trial began on February 11, 2008, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. On March 14, 2008, the defendants were found not responsible for Ritter's death by a jury vote of 9–3. The family already has received more than $14 million in settlements, according to court records, including $9.4 million from Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he died.

Response and legacy

Many of Ritter's co-workers expressed deep sorrow and heartbreak following the news of his death. Suzanne Somers expressed immense despair for Ritter's family, "I'm so sad for the family. We lost a good one, it was so unfinished." Zach Braff, who worked with Ritter on Scrubs called Ritter a "comic hero" of his and immediately approached series creator Bill Lawrence to get Ritter to play his TV-dad. Katey Sagal testified in the wrongful death lawsuit, calling Ritter a "funny man who was funny like nobody's business".

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter was later retitled 8 Simple Rules following Ritter's death and continued for two more seasons until its cancellation on May 17, 2005. Ritter's character, Paul Hennessy, was said to have died after collapsing in a grocery store while buying milk. ABC aired the first three episodes of the show's second season that had been taped before his death. The remainder of the show dealt with the family trying to grapple with Paul's death. New male characters, played by James Garner and David Spade, were later added as the main cast. Shortly before his death, Ritter did a week-long taping with Hollywood Squares, which was aired as a tribute to him, introduced by Henry Winkler, the executive producer of the show and very close friend of Ritter's.

In 2004, Ritter was posthumously given an Emmy nomination for playing Paul Hennessey in 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, but lost to Kelsey Grammer for playing the title character of Frasier. Upon accepting his trophy, Grammer's remarks included comments made in tribute and remembrance of Ritter. His last films, Bad Santa and Clifford's Really Big Movie, along with an episode of Scrubs (His character in this series died as well following Ritter's real life death) and King of the Hill, were dedicated in his memory. On June 6, 2008, a mural of Ritter painted by Eloy Torrez was dedicated at Hollywood High School. In March 2010, the Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) Coalition, in partnership with Yasbeck, and the John Ritter Foundation, announced the creation of the Ritter Rules. The purpose of the charity is to help raise awareness among all of the public about aortic dissection so they can reduce their risk of the same kind of tragedy that took the life of Ritter.

Yasbeck has been working with the University of Texas Medical School at Houston Team, identifying genes that may lead to an aortic aneurysm. Those included in the study are all four of Ritter's children, which are collected by a saliva sample along with many other samples. Yasbeck is certain that once these genes are identifiable, such a tragedy should not repeat itself.

Filmography

1971 The Barefoot Executive Roger his film debut

Scandalous John Wandell

1972 The Other Rider

1973 The Stone Killer Officer Mort

1976 Nickelodeon Franklin Frank

1978 Breakfast in Bed Paul

1979 Americathon President Chet Roosevelt

1980 Hero at Large Steve Nichols

Wholly Moses! Satan (The Devil)

1981 They All Laughed Charles Rutledge

1982 The Flight of Dragons Peter Dickenson Voice

Direct-to-video

1986 A Smoky Mountain Christmas Judge Harold Benton (uncredited)

1987 Real Men Bob Wilson/Agent Pillbox, CIA

1989 Skin Deep Zachary 'Zach' Hutton

1990 Problem Child 'Little' Ben Healy

1990 IT Ben Hanscom

1991 The Real Story of O Christmas Tree Piney Voice

Direct-to-Video

Problem Child 2 Ben Healy

1992 Noises Off Garry Lejeune/Roger Tramplemain

Stay Tuned Roy Knable

1993 Danielle Steel's Heartbeat Bill Grant

1994 North Ward Nelson

1995 The Colony Rick Knowlton

1996 Sling Blade Vaughan Cunningham

1997 Nowhere Moses Helper

A Gun, a Car, a Blonde Duncan/The Bartender

Hacks Hank

1998 Montana Dr. Wexler

Shadow of Doubt Steven Mayer

I Woke Up Early the Day I Died Robert Forrest

Bride of Chucky Police Chief Warren Kincaid

2000 Panic Dr. Josh Parks

Lost in the Perishing Point Hotel Christian Therapist

Tripfall Tom Williams

Terror Tract Bob Carter Segment: Make Me an Offer

2001 Nuncrackers Narrator Direct-to-video

2002 Tadpole Stanley Grubman

Man of the Year Bill

2003 Manhood Eli

Bad Santa Bob Chipeska Posthumously released

2004 Clifford's Really Big Movie Clifford the Big Red Dog Voice

Posthumously released

2006 Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up Great Uncle Stew Voice

Direct-to-video, posthumously released

Television

1967 The Dating Game Bachelor Number Three

1968 Crazy World, Crazy People Various Characters TV special

1970 Dan August Episode: "Quadrangle for Death"

1971, 1977 Hawaii Five-O Ryan Moore

Mike Welles Episodes: "Two Doves and Mr. Heron"

"Dealer's Choice--Blackmail"

1972–1976 The Waltons Rev. Matthew Fordwick 18 episodes

1973 Medical Center Ronnie Episode: "End of the Line"

Bachelor-at-Law Ben Sykes Unsold CBS TV pilot

M*A*S*H Pvt. Carter Episode: "Deal Me Out"

1974 Kojak Kenny Soames Episode: "Deliver Us Some Evil"

Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Greg Episode: "To Keep and Bear Arms"

The Bob Newhart Show Dave Episode: "Sorry, Wrong Mother"

1975 Movin' On Casey Episode: "Landslide"

Mannix Cliff Elgin Episode: "Hardball"

The Bob Crane Show Hornbeck Episode: "Son of the Campus Capers"

Petrocelli John Oleson Episode: "Chain of Command"

Barnaby Jones Joe Rockwell Episode: "The Price of Terror"

The Streets of San Francisco John 'Johnny' Steiner Episode: "Murder by Proxy"

The Night That Panicked America Walter Wingate ABC TV film

The Mary Tyler Moore Show Reverend Chatfield Episode: "Ted's Wedding"

The Rookies Hap Dawson Episode: "Reluctant Hero"

1975, 1976 Rhoda Vince Mazuma

Jerry Blocker Episodes: "Chest Pains"

"Attack on Mr. Right"

1976 Starsky and Hutch Tom Cole Episode: "The Hostages"

Phyllis Paul Jameson Episode: "The New Job"

1976–1984 Three's Company Jack Tripper 174 episodes

1977 , 1983 The Love Boat Dale Riley/Reinhardt

Episodes: "A Oh Dale..."

"Japan Cruise...(1)"

"Japan Cruise...(2)"

1978 Ringo Marty TV film

Leave Yesterday Behind Paul Stallings ABC TV film

1979 The Ropers Jack Tripper Episode: "The Party"

1980 The Associates Chick Episode: "The Censors"

The Comeback Kid Bubba Newman ABC TV film

1981 Insight Frankie Episode: "Little Miseries"

1982 Pray TV Tom McPherson ABC TV film

In Love with an Older Woman Robert CBS TV film

1983 Sunset Limousine Alan O'Black CBS TV film

1984 Love Thy Neighbor Danny Loeb ABC TV film

Pryor's Place Episode: "The Showoff"

1984–1985 Three's a Crowd Jack Tripper 22 episodes

1985 Letting Go Alex ABC TV film

1986 Living Seas Host NBC TV film

Unnatural Causes Frank Coleman NBC TV film

A Smoky Mountain Christmas Judge Harold Benton ABC film

Life With Lucy Himself Guest Appearance

1987 The Last Fling Phillip Reed ABC TV film

Prison for Children David Royce CBS TV film

1987–1989 Hooperman Det. Harry Hooperman 42 episodes

1988 Mickey's 60th Birthday Dudley Goode TV special

Tricks of the Trade Donald Todsen Cameo

CBS TV film

1989 My Brother's Wife Barney ABC TV film

1990 Stephen King's It Adult Ben 'Haystack' Hanscom ABC TV film

The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story L. Frank Baum NBC TV film

1991 The Cosby Show Ray Evans Episode: "Total Control"

The Summer My Father Grew Up Paul NBC TV film

Anything But Love Patrick Serreau Episodes: "Say it Again, Han"

"Martus Interruptus"

"Hello...Mali"

"Stop Me Before I...Again (1)"

"Stop Me Before I...Again (2)"

1992 Fish Police Inspector Gill Voice

1992–1994 Hearts Afire John Hartman 54 episodes

1993 Heartbeat Bill Grant NBC TV film

The Only Way Out Jeremy Carlisle ABC TV film

The Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode: "Off Camera"

1994 Dave's World John Hartman Episode: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"

1995 Gramps Clarke MacGruder NBC TV film

The Colony Rick Knowlton TV film

NewsRadio Dr. Frank Westford Episode: "The Shrink"

1996 Totally Animals Host TV special

Unforgivable Paul Hegstrom CBS TV film

Wings Stuart Davenport Episode: "Love Overboard"

For Hope Date #5 uncredited

ABC TV film

The World's Greatest Magic III Host TV special

1996, 1999 Touched by an Angel Mike O'Connor

Tom McKinsley Episodes: "Random Acts"

"Black Like Monica"

1997 Loss of Faith Bruce Simon Barker TV film

Mercenary Jonas Ambler HBO TV film

A Child's Wish Ed Chandler CBS TV film

Dead Man's Gun Harry McDonacle Segment: "The Great McDonacle"

Over the Top Justin Talbot Episode: "The Nemesis"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Ted Buchanan Episode: "Ted"

The World's Greatest Magic IV Host TV special

1997, 2000, 2003 King of the Hill Eugene Grandy Episodes: "The Son that Got Away"

"What Makes Bobby Run?"

"The Witches of East Arlen"

"Stressed for Success"

1998 Chance of a Lifetime Tom Maguire CBS TV film

Ally McBeal George Madison Episode: "It's My Party"

"The Story of Love"

The World's Greatest Magic V Host TV special

Dead Husbands Dr. Carter Elston TV film

1999 Veronica's Closet Tim Episode: "Veronica's Favorite Year"

Holy Joe Joe Cass CBS TV film

It Came from the Sky Donald Bridges TV film

Lethal Vows Dr. David Farris CBS TV film

2000 Chicago Hope Joe Dysmerski Episode: "Simon Sez"

Batman Beyond Dr. David Wheeler Voice

Episode: "The Last Resort"

Family Law Father Andrews Episode: "Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law"

2000–2003 Hollywood Squares Himself Guest panelist until 2002, when he became a regular panelist.

2000–2003 Clifford the Big Red Dog Clifford Voice

2000, 2001, 2002 Felicity Mr. Andrew Covington 7 episodes

2001 Tucker Marty Episode: "Homewrecker for the Holidays"

2002 The Ellen Show Percy Moss Episode: "Gathering Moss"

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Richard Manning Episode: "Monogamy"

Breaking News Lloyd Fuchs Episode: "Pilot"

Scrubs Sam Dorian Episodes: "My Old Man"

"My Lucky Day"

2002–2003 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter Paul Hennessey 31 episodes

Awards and 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.

Trivia:

John Ritter played the role of "Dad" in the music video of "Innocent Eyes" by Graham Nash released off the album of the same name in 1986. The video centres around the theme of eternal youth and the characters proceed to dance at a Graham Nash concert.