Life of John Ritter

 

Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was the son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ABC sitcom Three's Company (1977–1984), and received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1984. Ritter briefly reprised the role on the spin-off Three's a Crowd, which aired for one season, producing 22 episodes before its cancellation in 1985.

He appeared in over 100 films and television series combined and performed on Broadway, with roles including adult Ben Hanscom in It (1990), Problem Child (1990), Problem Child 2 (1991), a dramatic turn in Sling Blade (1996), and Bad Santa in 2003 (his final live-action film, which was dedicated to his memory). In 2002, Don Knotts called Ritter the "greatest physical comedian on the planet". His final roles include voicing the title character on the PBS children's program Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000–2003), for which he received four Daytime Emmy Award nominations, and as Paul Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2002–2003).

Early life

Johnathan Southworth Ritter was born on September 17, 1948, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California. Ritter had a birth defect known as a coloboma in his right eye. His father, Tex Ritter, was a singing cowboy and matinee star, and his mother, Dorothy Fay (née Southworth), was an actress. He had an older brother, Thomas "Tom" Ritter. Ritter attended Hollywood High School, where he was student body president. He attended the University of Southern California and majored in psychology with plans to have a career in politics. He later changed his major to theater arts and attended the USC School of Dramatic Arts (formerly School of Theatre). Ritter was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at USC. While still in college, Ritter traveled to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and West Germany to perform in plays. Ritter graduated in 1970.

Career

Film and television

Ritter headlined several stage performances. After his graduation from USC in 1970, his first television acting experience was as a campus revolutionary in the television series Dan August starring Burt Reynolds and future Three's Company co-star Norman Fell. Ritter made his film debut in the 1971 Disney film The Barefoot Executive. He made guest appearances on the television series Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, and many others. He had a recurring role as the Reverend Matthew Fordwick on the drama series The Waltons from October 1972 to December 1976. Because he was not a weekly cast member, he had time to pursue other roles, which he did until December 1976, when he left for a starring role in the hit sitcom Three's Company (the Americanized version of the 1970s British Thames Television series Man About the House) in 1977. In 1978, Ritter played Ringo Starr's manager on the television special Ringo. In 1982, Ritter provided the voice of Peter Dickinson in the animated film The Flight of Dragons.

Ritter in 1977

Ritter became a household name in Three's Company, portraying struggling culinary student Jack Tripper with two female roommates. Ritter co-starred opposite Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers, and then later Jenilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes. Much of the comedy centered around Jack's pretending to be gay to keep the old-fashioned landlords appeased over the co-ed living arrangements. The series spent several seasons near the top of the ratings in the United States before ending in 1984. A year-long spin-off, Three's a Crowd, ensued, as the Jack Tripper character has a live-in girlfriend and runs his own bistro. The original series has been seen continuously in reruns and is available on DVD. During the run of Three's Company, Ritter appeared in the films Hero at Large, Americathon, and They All Laughed. In 1986, he played the role of Dad in the music video for Graham Nash's song "Innocent Eyes" from the album of the same name.

Hooperman was Ritter's first regular television role after Three's Company. Detective Harry Hooperman inherits a run-down apartment building and hires Susan Smith (Debrah Farentino) to run it. A relationship follows, and Hooperman must juggle work, love, and the antics of Bijoux the dog. In 1988, John was nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his work on Hooperman. Ritter won a People's Choice Award for this role. From 1992 to 1995, Ritter returned to television for three seasons as John Hartman, an aide to a U.S. Senator, in Hearts Afire. This series starred Markie Post as Georgie Anne Lahti and Billy Bob Thornton as Billy Bob Davis. He also played Garry Lejeune / Roger Tramplemain in the production Noises Off in 1992.

After his time on television, he appeared in a number of movies, most notably Problem Child and its first sequel. He played the lead role in Blake Edwards' 1989 film Skin Deep, appeared in the film version of Noises Off, rejoined Billy Bob Thornton in the Oscar-winning Sling Blade (playing a kindhearted, gay, discount-store manager), and co-starred with Olivier Gruner in the 1996 action film Mercenary.

Ritter starred in many made-for-TV movies, including Gramps (1995), co-starring with Andy Griffith, Rob Hedden's The Colony (1995) with Hal Linden, Stephen King's It, Danielle Steel's Heartbeat with Polly Draper, and It Came from the Sky in 1999 with Yasmine Bleeth. Ritter also made guest appearances on television shows, such as Felicity, Ally McBeal, Scrubs, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He also provided the voice of the title character in the animated children's show Clifford the Big Red Dog and its animated film adaptation Clifford's Really Big Movie (2004), a role for which he received four Emmy nominations. His final film was Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up (2006), an animated direct-to-DVD film based on the television series, which was dedicated to his memory. At the time of his death, he was starring in 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter.

Theater

In 2000, Ritter co-starred with Henry Winkler in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway, portraying Claude Pichon. It ran for 364 performances. Ritter won the Theatre World Award in 2001 for his performance in that work. In 2003, Ritter made his final stage appearance in All About Eve at the Ahmanson Theatre.

 

J For J at LA's Court Theatre March 14-April 21, 2002. Starring John Ritter, Jeff Kober, and Jenny Sullivan. Directed by Joseph Fuqua. Written by Jenny Sullivan.

Personal life

On October 16, 1977, Ritter married actress Nancy Morgan, with whom he had three children: Jason Carly, and Tyler. They divorced on September 1, 1996. He married actress Amy Yasbeck on September 18, 1999, at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio. They had a child born in 1998. Yasbeck played his love interest in the first two Problem Child movies, though as two different characters. Yasbeck also played Ritter's wife in two sitcom appearances. In 1991, both were guest stars on The Cosby Show, in which 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.

Death

On September 11, 2003, Ritter was rehearsing for 8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California when he suddenly fell ill and began to experience problems with his heart. Sweating profusely, vomiting, and complaining of chest pain, he was taken across the street to the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center at 6:00 pm. Ritter was initially treated by emergency room physicians for a heart attack; however, his condition quickly worsened. Ritter was then diagnosed with aortic dissection and was taken into surgery, but was pronounced dead at 10:48 p.m.

A private funeral for Ritter was held in Los Angeles on September 15, 2003, after which he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

In 2008, Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck, on behalf of herself and Ritter's children, filed lawsuits against doctors involved in Ritter's treatment and Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. The lawsuits against Providence St. Joseph were settled out of court for $9.4 million. A $67 million wrongful-death lawsuit against two of the physicians, radiologist Matthew Lotysch and cardiologist Joseph Lee, went to trial. Yasbeck 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.  In 2008, at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the jury concluded that the doctors who treated Ritter the day he died were not negligent and thus were not responsible for his death.

Response and legacy

Many of Ritter's colleagues expressed sorrow following the news of his death. Zach Braff, who worked with Ritter on Scrubs, called Ritter a "comic hero" of his and said he had approached series creator Bill Lawrence to get Ritter to play his character J.D.'s father (which Ritter did for two episodes and was slated to return for a third the week following his death). Katey Sagal testified in the wrongful death lawsuit, calling Ritter a "funny man who was funny like nobody's business". His Three's Company co-star Joyce DeWitt remarked he was "impossible to forget. Impossible not to love".

8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter was later retitled 8 Simple Rules following Ritter's death and continued for one and a half more seasons before its cancellation in 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, each of which was introduced by Katey Sagal. 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 to the main cast as Ritter's replacements. Shortly before his death, Ritter had done 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 a very close friend of Ritter's. Four days after Ritter's death, Nick at Nite ran an all-night Three's Company marathon dedicated to his memory.

In 2004, Ritter was posthumously given an Emmy nomination for playing Paul Hennessy 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.  Ritter's final films, Bad Santa and Clifford's Really Big Movie, along with a Season 4 episode of Scrubs (his character in this series died, as well), the Season 8 King of the Hill episode "Stressed for Success" (in which he played music teacher Eugene Grandy) and Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up (in which he played Great Uncle Stew) were all dedicated to his memory.

On June 6, 2008, Hollywood High School dedicated a mural of Ritter painted by Eloy Torrez. In March 2010, the Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) Coalition, in partnership with Yasbeck and the John Ritter Foundation (JRF), announced the creation of the "Ritter Rules" which are life-saving reminders to recognize, treat and prevent thoracic aortic dissection. The purpose of the JRF is to provide accurate information to the general public about the disease and its risk factors, provide support to individuals who have thoracic aortic disease or have lost a loved one to the disease and improve the identification of individuals at risk for aortic dissections and the treatment of thoracic aortic disease through medical research. Yasbeck worked with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) to establish the John Ritter Research Program in Aortic and Vascular Diseases with the goal of preventing premature deaths due to aortic dissection by identifying genetic mutations that predispose individuals to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections.

Filmography

Film

1971       The Barefoot Executive Roger    Film debut

Scandalous John               Wendell              

1972       The Other           Rider    

1973       The Stone Killer                Hart      

1975       The Prisoner of Second Avenue                Elevator Passenger         Uncredited

1976       Nickelodeon      Franklin Frank   

1977       Breakfast in Bed               Paul       Short film

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 Dickinson                Voice, direct-to-video

1987       Real Men             Bob Wilson, Agent Pillbox, CIA  

1989       Skin Deep            Zachary "Zach" Hutton 

1990       Problem Child    Benjamin "Ben" Healy Jr.             

1991       Problem Child 2               

The Real Story of O Christmas Tree          Piney     Voice, direct-to-video

1992       Noises Off           Garry Lejeune, Roger Tramplemain        

Stay Tuned         Roy Knable        

1994       North    Ward Nelson     

1996       Sling Blade          Vaughan Cunningham  

Mercenary          Jonas Ambler     Direct-to-video

1997       Nowhere             Moses Helper   

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

Hacks    Hank     

1998       Montana             Dr. Wexler         

The Truth About Lying   Simon Barker    

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   

Tripfall  Tom Williams    

Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel Christian Therapist         

Terror Tract        Bob Carter         

Tadpole                Stanley Grubman            

2001       Nuncrackers       Narrator               Voice, direct-to-video

2002       Man of the Year               Bill         

2003       Manhood            Eli           

Bad Santa            Bob Chipeska     Posthumous release; final live-action film

2004       Clifford's Really Big Movie            Clifford the Big Red Dog                Voice, posthumous release; dedicated in memory

2006       Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up     Great Uncle Stew            Voice, posthumous release; final film role; dedicated in memory

Television

1967       The Dating Game             Contestant         Selected as the "Winning Bachelor"

1968       Crazy World, Crazy People           Various characters           TV special

1970       Dan August         Coley Smith        Episode: "Quadrangle for Death"

1971       Hawaii Five-O    Ryan Moore, Mike Welles            2 episodes

1972–1976           The Waltons       Rev. Matthew Fordwick                Recurring role (18 episodes)

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

Bachelor-at-Law               Ben Sykes           Unsold 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"

Rhoda   Vince Mazuma  Episode: "Chest Pains"

Mannix Cliff Elgin              Episode: "Hardball"

Great Performances       Richard Episode: "Who's Happy Now?"

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                TV film

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

The Rookies       Hap Dawson       Episode: "Reluctant Hero"

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

Doc        Jeff, George       Episode: "A Little Bit of Soap"

Rhoda   Jerry Blocker      Episode: "Attack on Mr. Right"

Phyllis   Paul Jameson    Episode: "The New Job"

1977–1984           Three's Company            Jack Tripper        Lead role (174 episodes)

1977       The Love Boat   Dale Riley            Episode: "Oh, Dale"

Tattletales           Himself (panelist)            Syndication

1978       Ringo     Marty Flesh        TV film

Leave Yesterday Behind               Paul Stallings

$25,000 Pyramid               Himself (panelist)            Syndication

1979       The Ropers         Jack Tripper        Episode: "The Party"

1980       The Associates  Chick     Episode: "The Censors"

The Comeback Kid           Bubba Newman               TV film

John Ritter: Being of Sound Mind and Body         Himself, Various Characters        TV special

1981       Insight  Frankie Episode: "Little Miseries"

1982       Pray TV Tom McPherson               TV film

In Love with an Older Woman    Robert Christenberry

The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show   Himself (guest star)        TV special

1983       Sunset Limousine            Alan O'Black       TV film

The Love Boat   Ben Cummins    Episode: "The Emperor's Fortune"

1984       Love Thy Neighbor          Danny Loeb        TV film

Pryor's Place      Himself (guest star)        Episode: "The Showoff"

1984–1985           Three's a Crowd               Jack Tripper        Lead role (22 episodes)

1985       Letting Go           Alex Schuster    TV film

1986       Unnatural Causes            Frank Coleman

A Smoky Mountain Christmas    Judge Harold Benton

Life with Lucy     Himself (guest star)        Episode: "Lucy Makes a Hit with John Ritter"

1987       The Last Fling     Phillip Reed        TV film

Prison for Children          David Royce

1987–1989           Hooperman        Det. Harry Hooperman  Lead role (42 episodes)

1988       Mickey's 60th Birthday  Dudley Goode   TV special

Tricks of the Trade           Donald Todsen  TV film

1989       Have Faith           Rick Shepherd   Episode: "The Window"

My Brother's Wife           Barney Rusher  TV film

1990       It             Ben Hanscom    TV miniseries

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

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

The Summer My Father Grew Up             Dr. Paul Saunders            TV film

Anything but Love           Patrick Serreau Recurring role (5 episodes)

1992       Fish Police           Inspector Gill     Voice, 6 episodes

1992–1995           Hearts Afire        John Hartman    Lead role (54 episodes)

1993       Heartbeat           Bill Grant              Television film

The Only Way Out           Jeremy Carlisle

The Larry Sanders Show                Himself (guest star)        Episode: "Off Camera"

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

1995       Gramps                Clarke MacGruder           TV film

The Colony         Rick Knowlton

NewsRadio         Dr. Frank Westford         Episode: "The Shrink"

The Larry Sanders Show                Himself (guest star)        Episode: "The Fourteenth Floor"

1996       Unforgivable      Paul Hegstrom  TV film

Wings    Stuart Davenport             Episode: "Love Overboard"

For Hope             Date #5                TV film (uncredited)

Touched by an Angel      Mike O'Connor, Tom McKinsley                2 episodes

1997       Loss of Faith       Bruce Simon Barker        TV film

A Child's Wish    Ed Chandler

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"

1997–2004           King of the Hill   Eugene Grandy Voice, 4 episodes

1998       Chance of a Lifetime       Tom Maguire     TV film

Ally McBeal         George Madison              2 episodes

Dead Husbands                Dr. Carter Elston               TV film

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

Holy Joe               Rev. Joe Cass     TV film

It Came from the Sky     Donald Bridges

Lethal Vows       Dr. David Farris

2000–2003           Clifford the Big Red Dog                Clifford Voice, main role

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"

2000–2002           Felicity  Mr. Andrew Covington  Recurring role (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         2 episodes

2002–2003           8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter          Paul Hennessy  Lead role (31 episodes)

Video games

2001       Clifford the Big Red Dog: Learning Activities         Clifford

2002       Clifford the Big Red Dog: Musical Memory Games

2003       Clifford the Big Red Dog: Phonics

Awards and honors

Daytime Emmy Awards 2001       Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program               Clifford the Big Red Dog                Nominated

2002

2003

2004

Primetime Emmy Awards             1978       Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series         Three's Company

1981

1984       Won

1988       Hooperman        Nominated

1999       Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series      Ally McBeal

2004       Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series         8 Simple Rules

Golden Globe Awards   1979       Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy                Three's Company

1980

1984       Won

1987       Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television             Unnatural Causes            Nominated

1988       Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy         Hooperman

People's Choice Awards                1988       Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program  Hooperman        Won

Screen Actors Guild Awards        1997       Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Sling Blade (shared w/co-stars)     Nominated

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.