[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_ritter.jpg]]
->''"Most people don't know that I am an accomplished dramatic actor... But I've performed in several Shakespeare productions including Hamlet, except in this version, Hamlet lives in an apartment with two women, and has to pretend he's gay so that the landlord won't evict him."''

Jonathan Southworth 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 Creator/{{ABC}} sitcoms ''Series/ThreesCompany'' and ''Series/EightSimpleRules'' respectively.

John Ritter was born in Burbank, California, the son of actress Creator/DorothyFay and singing cowboy/matinée-star Creator/TexRitter. Ritter headlined several stage performances before his StarMakingRole in the hit sitcom ''Three's Company'' (the Americanized version of the 1970s British television series ''Man About the House'') in 1977, playing a single ladies' man and culinary student, Jack Tripper, who lives with two female roommates while pretending to be gay to appease their conservative landlords (the first played by Norman Fell, the second by Creator/DonKnotts). Ritter became known as one the most down-to-earth and friendly guys, as well as an exceptional physical comedian.

On September 11, 2003, Ritter felt ill while rehearsing scenes for the second season of ''8 Simple Rules'', sweating profusely, vomiting, and complaining of having chest pains. He was taken across the street to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (the same hospital he was born in). Doctors believed Ritter suffered a heart attack, but it turned out it was actually an aortic dissection, and he died that evening around 10:45 pm PST. He was 54 years old, six days short of his 55th birthday.

Ritter was interred at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His mother died less than two months later. ''8 Simple Rules'' integrated his untimely death [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim into the show]] and it could be argued that his memory is what helped the show continue for several more seasons. ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' also featured the offscreen death of his character (J.D.'s father) with a similar ode to his legacy.

Ritter is remembered for his extremely likeable characters and how well he performed physical comedy. Don Knotts (with whom Ritter co-starred on ''Three's Company'') once called him the "Greatest physical comedian on the planet". As a son of Hollywood and known to be an easy-to-work-with NiceGuy, he is still remembered fondly by co-stars and friends. His son Creator/JasonRitter went on to star in ''Series/TheEvent'' and ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''.

----
!!Other Productions:
* ''Series/TheWaltons'' featured a young Ritter in the recurring role of the Rev. Matthew Fordwick.
* ''Film/ProblemChild'' and its first sequel, where he played the dad, Ben Healey.
* ''Film/SlingBlade'': Oscar-winning movie, almost unrecognizable as a gay, kindhearted discount store manager
* ''Theatre/NoisesOff''
* ''Film/{{Nickelodeon|1976}}'': Creator/PeterBogdanovich's film.
* ''Film/SkinDeep'': Creator/BlakeEdwards' 1989 film
* ''Series/HeartsAfire'': Early 1990's sitcom with [[Series/NightCourt Markie Post]].
* ''Series/{{Hooperman}}'': 1980s police {{dramedy}}
* ''The Dreamer of Oz'': early '90s TV movie in which he portrayed Creator/LFrankBaum
* Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{It}}'': Among other made-for-tv movies
* ''Film/WhollyMoses'': Contributes a brief but memorable cameo as a very affable and mild-mannered {{Satan}}.
* Guest appearances on ''Series/AllyMcBeal'', ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''[[note]]Where he was PlayingAgainstType, turning his legendary affable persona into a cover for SerialKiller villain[[/note]], ''Series/{{Felicity}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''.
* ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'': Provided the voice of the title character, a role for which he received two Emmy nominations.
** With Ritter's death, the show went back in time to cover WesternAnimation/CliffordsPuppyDays.
* ''Film/{{North}}'': The father of the normal family North interviews.
* ''Film/StayTuned'' as Roy Knable, a couch potato who ends up TrappedInTVLand.
* ''Film/BrideOfChucky''
* ''Film/TerrorTract''
* ''Film/{{Tadpole}}''
* ''Film/HeroAtLarge''
* ''Film/BadSanta'' (his final live-action role was as the mall manager--the film is [[InMemoriam dedicated to him]])
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'' as Peter Dickenson, a modern man-turned-dragon in a FantasyKitchenSink world.
* ''WesternAnimation/FishPolice''
----