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 ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules respectively.
John Ritter was born in Burbank, California, the son of Dorothy Fay, an actress, and singing cowboy/matinée-star Tex Ritter. Ritter headlined several stage performances before his Star-Making Role 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 land lords (the first played by Norman Fell, the second by Don Knotts). 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 into the show and it could be argued that his memory is what helped the show continue on for several more seasons. 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 Nice Guy, he is still remembered fondly by co-stars and friends. His son Jason Ritter went on to star in The Event and Gravity Falls.
Other Productions:
- The Waltons featured a young Ritter in the recurring role of the Rev. Matthew Fordwick.
- Problem Child and its first sequel, where he played the dad, Ben Healey.
- Sling Blade: Oscar-winning movie, almost unrecognizable as a gay, kindhearted discount store manager
- Noises Off
- Skin Deep: Blake Edwards' 1989 film
- Hearts Afire: Early 1990's sitcom with Markie Post.
- Hooperman: 1980s police dramedy
- The Dreamer of Oz: early-90s TV movie in which he portrayed L. Frank Baum
- Stephen King's It: Among other made-for-tv movies
- Wholly Moses!: Contributes a brief but memorable cameo as a very affable and mild-mannered Satan.
- Guest appearances on Ally McBeal, Scrubs, Buffy the Vampire Slayernote , Felicity and Batman Beyond.
- Clifford the Big Red Dog: 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 Clifford's Puppy Days.
- North: The father of the normal family North interviews.
- Stay Tuned as Roy Knable, a couch potato who ends up Trapped in TV Land.
- Bride of Chucky
- Terror Tract
- Tadpole
- Hero At Large
- Bad Santa (his final live-action role was as the mall manager—the film is dedicated to him)
- The Flight of Dragons as Peter Dickenson, a modern man-turned-dragon in a Fantasy Kitchen Sink world.
- Fish Police
