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John Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September
11, 2003)  was an United States|American actor.

Born Jonathan Southworth Ritter in Burbank,
California|Burbank, California, he was the son of
Country music|country singer/actor Tex Ritter and
former actor|actress Dorothy Fay.

Ritter 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,
majored in psychology and minored in architecture.

After two years in college, he was persuaded to
join a drama class given by leading drama coach
and actress, Nina Foch. Ritter soon changed his
major to Theater Arts, graduating in 1971 with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama. Under Foch,
he studied acting with Stella Adler and the Harvey
Lembeck Comedy Workshop.

Ritter went on to star in several stage
performances before he was made a star by
appearing in the hit Television|TV sitcom Three's
Company in 1977 in television|1977, playing a
single ladies man and culinary student, Jack
Tripper, who lived with two female
roommate|roommates. In 1978 in television|1978, he
played Ringo Starr|Ringo Starr's manager on the
television special Ringo.

After Three's Company, he appeared in a number of
Film|movies, notably Problem Child (film)|Problem
Child and its first sequel, Academy Award-winning
Sling Blade, and Noises Off.  He also starred with
Markie Post in the early-1990s sitcom Hearts
Afire.

He starred in many made-for-TV movies and made
guest appearances on TV shows such as Ally McBeal
and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also provided the
voice for Clifford in the animated children's show
Clifford the Big Red Dog, a role for which he
received two Emmy Award|Emmy nominations.

He also guest starred on the NBC sitcom Scrubs as
the father of Zach Braff's character, J.D. He was
to make another guest apperance but due to his
death the producers changed the storyline to
J.D.'s older brother Dan (played by Tom Cavanagh)
visits J.D. to tell him that their father (John
Ritter) passed away and help his brother cope with
their father's passing. That episoide. titled "My
Cake" (Season 4, Ep 6), was dedicated to John
Ritter.

Ritter had two wives, actress Nancy Morgan
(married 1977-divorced 1996) and actress Amy
Yasbeck (married 1999-2003). Yasbeck had played
his wife or love interest in two of the Problem
Child movies (interestingly, as two distinct
characters).

He and Morgan had three children, Carly Ritter,
Tyler Ritter, and Jason Ritter. He and Yasbeck had
one daughter, Stella Ritter.

Ritter played Claude Pichon in The Dinner Party
(2000) at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway
theatre|Broadway, which was written by Neil Simon.
It ran for three hundred and sixty-four
perfomances.

John Ritter won the Theatre World Award in 2001
for his performance in The Dinner Party.

In 2002 in television|2002, he made a TV comeback
with the American Broadcasting Company|ABC family
sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage
Daughter.

Ritter's final movie role was as the store manager
in Bad Santa (2003 in film|2003), starring Billy
Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac.

He became ill during a rehearsal of his TV series,
8 Simple Rules (which was at the time starting its
second season), on September 11, 2003, and died
later that day at the age of 54 at a nearby
hospital in Burbank, California. The cause of
death was listed as an aortic dissection, the
result of a previously undiagnosed congenital
heart defect. He was interred at Forest Lawn -
Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.

John Ritter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood,
California|Hollywood. 

==Television==
*The Waltons (1973 in television|1973-1976 in
television|1976)
*Three's Company (1977 in television|1977-1984 in
television|1984)
*Ringo (film)|Ringo (1978 in television|1978)
*Flight of Dragons (1982 in television|1982) voice
*Three's a Crowd (1984 in television|1984-1985 in
television|1985)
*Hooperman (1987 in television|1987-1989 in
television|1989)
*The Cosby Show (1991 in television|1991) Guest
Appearance
*Hearts Afire (1992 in television|1992-1995 in
television|1995)
*Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 in
television|1997) Guest Appearance
*Ally McBeal (1998 in television|1998) Guest
Appearance
*Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000 in
television|2000-2003 in television|2003) voice
*Scrubs (2002 in television|2002) Guest Appearance
*8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
(2002 in television|2002-2003 in television|2003)

==Filmography==
*The Other (movie)|The Other (1972 in film|1972)
*Americathon 1998 (1979 in film|1979)
*Hero at Large (1980 in film|1980)
*The Comeback Kid (1980 in film|1980)
*They All Laughed (1981 in film|1981)
*Pray TV (1982 in film|1982)
*In Love With An Older Woman (1982 in film|1982)
*Sunset Limousine (1983 in film|1983)
*Letting Go (1985 in film|1985)
*A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986 in film|1986)
*Unnatural Causes (1987 in film|1987)
*Real Men (1987 in film|1987)
*Tricks of the Trade (1988 in film|1988)
*Skin Deep (1989 in film|1989)
*The Last Fling (1989 in film|1989)
*Problem Child (movie)|Problem Child (1990 in
film|1990)
*It (1990 film)|It (1990 in film|1990)
*Everybody Wins (1990 in film|1990)
*The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story (1990
in film|1990)
*Problem Child 2 (1991 in film|1991)
*Stay Tuned (1992 in film|1992)
*Noises Off (1992 in film|1992)
*Prison for Children (1993 in film|1993)
*My Brother's Wife (1993 in film|1993)
*The Colony (movie)|The Colony (1995 in film|1995)
*Mercenary (movie) (1996 in film|1996)
*Nowhere (movie)|Nowhere (1996 in film|1996)
*Sling Blade (1997 in film|1997)
*Sink Or Swim (1997 in film|1997)
*A Gun, a Car, a Blonde (1997 in film|1997)
*Bride of Chucky (1998 in film|1998)
*The Million Dollar Kid (1999 in film|1999)
*It Came From the Sky (1999 in film|1999)
*Dead Husbands (1999 in film|1999)
*Tripfall (2000 in film|2000)
*Terror Tract (2000 in film|2000)
*Panic (movie)|Panic (2000 in film|2000)
*Tadpole (movie)|Tadpole (2002 in film|2002)
*Bad Santa (2003 in film|2003)

==External links==
*imdb name|id=0000615|name=John Ritter
*http://freespace.virgin.net/avril.bowles/ The
John Ritter Appreciation Website
*http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/r/ritter/ritte
r.htm Find A Death - John Ritter
*http://johnritteronline.com/ John Ritter Online -
A Living Tribute