John Ritter
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor
, voice over artist and comedian
perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper
and Paul Hennessy in the ABC
sitcoms Three's Company
and 8 Simple Rules
, respectively. He is also known for being the voice of the title character Clifford in the PBS television series Clifford the Big Red Dog. Don Knotts
called him the "Greatest physical comedian on the planet".
Ritter's final films—the screwball dark comedy Bad Santa
and the two children's animated films Clifford's Really Big Movie
and Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up—were all dedicated in his memory.
, the son of Dorothy Fay
(née
Southworth), 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, Ritter was a contestant on The Dating Game
.
While still in college, Ritter traveled to England, Scotland, Holland and Germany to perform in plays. After his 1970 graduation from USC, his first TV acting experience was a campus revolutionary in the TV series, Dan August
, starring Burt Reynolds
and Norman Fell
. In 1971, Ritter landed his first movie role in The Barefoot Executive
.
, M*A*S*H (TV series) & others.
from October 26, 1972, to December 23, 1976, as Reverend Matthew Fordwick. Ritter appeared on a total of 18 episodes. As he was not a weekly cast member, he had the time to pursue other roles, which he did until December 1976, when he left for a permanent role on 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.
. 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. He won a People's Choice Award for this role.
(of The Fall Guy
and Night Court
fame) as Georgie Anne Lahti and Billy Bob Thorton as Billy Bob Davis.
. 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 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
, 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
.
(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.
family sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
(later retitled 8 Simple Rules following his death). Other titles considered were "8 Simple Rules for Dating" and, simply, "8".)
In 2003, John Ritter suddenly fell ill and died while rehearsing for the second season of "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."
(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.
from 1977 until they divorced in 1996; he married actress Amy Yasbeck
in 1999. Yasbeck had variously played 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 born in 1998, a year before they were married.
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, as well as one day before his wife's birthday, Amy Yasbeck . 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 30 years earlier. Years later, Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck
testified in court that she had concerns for his health because 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 has already 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.
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.
DVD Exclusive Awards
Daytime Emmy Awards
Emmy Awards
Golden Globe Awards
People's Choice Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Hollywood Walk of Fame
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.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, voice over artist and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest. Jack was played by the late John Ritter.-Introduction:...
and Paul Hennessy in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcoms Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
and 8 Simple Rules
8 Simple Rules
8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003...
, respectively. He is also known for being the voice of the title character Clifford in the PBS television series Clifford the Big Red Dog. Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
called him the "Greatest physical comedian on the planet".
Ritter's final films—the screwball dark comedy Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
and the two children's animated films Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford's Really Big Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the series of children's books drawn and written by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed by Robert C. Ramirez, produced by Scholastic Entertainment in association with Big Red Dog Productions, and originally released to...
and Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up—were all dedicated in his memory.
Early life
John Ritter was born in Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, the son of Dorothy Fay
Dorothy Fay
Dorothy Fay was an American actress.-Early life and career:She was born Dorothy Fay Southworth in Prescott, Arizona, the daughter of Harry T. Southworth and Harriet Fay Fox. Her father was a medical doctor...
(née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Southworth), an actress, and singing cowboy
Singing cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
/matinee-star Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
. He attended Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
, where he was student body president. He went on to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
(FIJI) fraternity, and majored in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and minored in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. In 1966 at the age of 18, Ritter was a contestant on The Dating Game
The Dating Game
The Dating Game is an ABC television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s...
.
While still in college, Ritter traveled to England, Scotland, Holland and Germany to perform in plays. After his 1970 graduation from USC, his first TV acting experience was a campus revolutionary in the TV series, Dan August
Dan August
Dan August is a short-lived 1970-1971 crime drama television series, which starred Burt Reynolds as the title character: a police lieutenant who investigated homicide cases in his hometown of Santa Luisa, California...
, starring Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
and Norman Fell
Norman Fell
Norman Fell , born Norman Noah Feld, was an American actor of film and television, most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.-Early life:...
. In 1971, Ritter landed his first movie role in The Barefoot Executive
The Barefoot Executive
The Barefoot Executive is a live-action Disney film released by Buena Vista Distribution in 1971 starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North and John Ritter , about a pet chimpanzee, named Raffles, who can predict the popularity of television programs...
.
Early television career
John did many guest appearances on early TV series, like Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, M*A*S*H (TV series) & others.
The Waltons
John Ritter was on The WaltonsThe Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
from October 26, 1972, to December 23, 1976, as Reverend Matthew Fordwick. Ritter appeared on a total of 18 episodes. As he was not a weekly cast member, he had the time to pursue other roles, which he did until December 1976, when he left for a 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 CompanyThree's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
(the Americanized version of the 1970s British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
series Man About the House
Man About the House
Man About the House is a British sitcom starring Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett that was broadcast for six seasons on ITV from 1973 to 1976. It was created and written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. The series was considered daring at the time due to its subject matter of...
) in 1977, playing a single ladies' man and culinary student, Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest. Jack was played by the late John Ritter.-Introduction:...
, who lives with two female roommates. The females originally were Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt
Joyce DeWitt
Joyce Anne DeWitt is an American actress most famous for playing Janet Wood on the ABC sitcom Three's Company.-Early life:...
) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers is an American actress, author, singer and businesswoman, known for her television roles as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and as Carol Lambert on Step by Step....
). While in later years Janet remained, Chrissy left and other characters replaced her tenancy, including Chrissy's cousin, Cindy (Jenilee Harrison
Jenilee Harrison
Jenilee Harrison is an American actress possibly best known for her role as replacement blonde roommate Cindy Snow on the hit sitcom Three's Company from 1980–1982 and Jamie Ewing in Dallas from 1984–1986.- Early years :...
), and unrelated roommate, Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes). Jack pretended to be gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
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
1984 in television
This article is a list of television-related events in 1984.-Events:*January 9 – Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" ad first airs, which propels Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase to national prominence....
. Ritter went on for one more year on the spin-off Three's a Crowd
Three's a Crowd
Three's a Crowd is an American television sitcom spinoff of Three's Company...
. 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
Hero at Large
Hero at Large is a 1980 comedy film starring John Ritter and Anne Archer. The film was written by former Disney screenwriter, AJ Carothers and directed by Martin Davidson. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams.-Plot:...
, Americathon
Americathon
Americathon is a 1979 American comedy film starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin, based on a play by Firesign Theatre alumni Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman...
, and They All Laughed
They All Laughed
For the 1937 song by George and Ira Gershwin see They All Laughed They All Laughed is a 1981 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It is based on a screenplay by Bogdanovich and Blaine Novak.-Plot:...
. In 1978
1978 in television
The year 1978 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1978.For the American TV schedule, see: 1978-79 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, he played Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's manager on the television special Ringo, and in 1982
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, played the voice of Peter Dickinson in Flight of Dragons.
Hooperman
Hooperman was Ritter's next TV series and it aired from 1987 to 1989. In the show he played Detective Harry Hooperman who inherits a run down apartment building in need of help. He hires Susan Smith Debrah FarentinoDebrah Farentino
Debrah Farentino is an American model and actress.-Early life:Farentino was born Deborah Mullowney in Lucas Valley, California. She attended Miller Creek Junior High School, and Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, California...
. 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. He won 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 PostMarkie Post
Marjorie Armstrong "Markie" Post is an American actress, best known for her roles as bail bondswoman Terri Michaels in The Fall Guy on ABC from 1982 to 1985, as public defender Christine Sullivan on the NBC sitcom Night Court from 1985 to 1992, and as Georgie Anne Lahti Hartman on the CBS sitcom...
(of The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
and Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
fame) 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 sequelProblem Child 2
Problem Child 2 is the 1991 comedy film sequel to the 1990 sleeper hit Problem Child; a continuation of the exploits of an adopted orphan boy who deliberately wreaks havoc everywhere he goes...
. He appeared in the Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning Sling Blade
Sling Blade
Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. It tells the story of a mentally impaired man named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother...
(playing a gay, kindhearted discount store manager) and Noises Off
Noises Off
Noises Off is a 1982 play by English playwright Michael Frayn. The idea for it was born in 1970, when Frayn was standing in the wings watching a performance of Chinamen, a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave...
and played the lead role in Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
' 1989 film Skin Deep
Skin Deep (1989 film)
Skin Deep is a 1989 American film starring John Ritter, written and directed by Blake Edwards.-Plot:Zachary "Zach" Hutton is a successful author who has a weakness for alcohol and beautiful women. Zach's mistress walks in on him in the process of cheating on her, followed by his estranged wife Alex...
.
He starred in many made-for-TV movies, including Gramps (1995), co-starring with Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
, Rob Hedden's The Colony (1995) with Hal Linden, Stephen King's It
It (1990 film)
It is a 1990 horror television miniseries based on the novel of the same name. The story revolves around an inter-dimensional predatory life-form that is simply referred to as "It", which has the ability to transform itself into its prey's worst fears allowing it to exploit the fears and phobias...
, Danielle Steel's Heartbeat with Polly Draper
Polly Draper
Polly Carey Draper is an American actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer and director. She is renowned for her ensemble role in ABC's hit series Thirtysomething. In 1998, Draper starred in her screenwriting debut The Tic Code, featuring Gregory Hines which was inspired by her husband Michael...
, and It Came From the Sky
It Came From the Sky (film)
It Came From the Sky, also known as Visiteurs impromptus, Les was a 1999 made-for-TV movie which was a comedy drama that starred Yasmine Bleeth, John Ritter, Christopher Lloyd and JoBeth Williams.-Plot:...
in 1999
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
with Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Amanda Bleeth is an American actress. Her television roles include Caroline Holden in the long-running series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
, and made guest appearances on TV shows, such as Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also provided the voice of the title character in the PBS animated children's show
PBS Kids
PBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10...
Clifford the Big Red Dog, a role for which he received two Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations. He starred alongside kickboxing actor Olivier Gruner
Olivier Gruner
Olivier Gruner is a former Commando Marine and World Kickboxing Champion. He became an actor specializing in the field of physical fitness.- Early life :...
for the buddy cop film
Buddy cop film
The "buddy cop" is a subgenre of buddy films and crime films with plots involving two men of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process...
Mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
.
Stage work
He played Claude Pichon in The Dinner PartyThe Dinner Party (play)
The Dinner Party is an original one-act play written by Neil Simon. It tells the story of six unknowing guests who are invited to a private dining room in a first-rate restaurant in Paris. Two things are apparent: they are three divorced couples, and one of them has set up the party.The play opened...
(2000) at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, which was written by Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
. It ran for three hundred and sixty-four performances. Ritter won the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
in 2001 for his performance in that work.
8 Simple Rules
In 2002, he made a TV comeback with the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
family sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
8 Simple Rules
8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003...
(later retitled 8 Simple Rules following his death). Other titles considered were "8 Simple Rules for Dating" and, simply, "8".)
In 2003, John Ritter suddenly fell ill and died while rehearsing for the second season of "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."
Final works
Ritter's final live action film appearance was as the store manager in Bad SantaBad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
(2003), starring personal friend Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
and Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
. Ritter's last film Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford's Really Big Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the series of children's books drawn and written by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed by Robert C. Ramirez, produced by Scholastic Entertainment in association with Big Red Dog Productions, and originally released to...
was as his title character Clifford the Big Red Dog
Clifford the Big Red Dog
Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series first published in 1963. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company....
and released seven months after his death. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.
Personal life
Ritter was married to actress Nancy MorganNancy Morgan
Nancy Karen Morgan is an American actress of film and television.Morgan is the daughter of Marjorie and Samuel A...
from 1977 until they divorced in 1996; he married actress Amy Yasbeck
Amy Yasbeck
Amy Marie Yasbeck is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chapel Davenport on the sitcom Wings from 1994-1997.-Early life:...
in 1999. Yasbeck had variously played 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
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, 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
Jason Ritter
Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
; he and Yasbeck had one daughter, Stella born in 1998, a year before they were married.
Death
8 Simple Rules
8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003...
. He was taken across the street to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center is a hospital in Burbank, California, USA. The hospital has 431 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. Its address is 501 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91505...
, 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, as well as one day before his wife's birthday, Amy Yasbeck . The cause of his death was an aortic dissection
Aortic dissection
Aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the inner wall of the aorta causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta and force the layers apart. The dissection typically extends anterograde, but can extend retrograde from the site of the intimal tear. Aortic dissection is a medical...
caused by a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect
Congenital heart defect
A congenital heart defect is a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels which is present at birth. Many types of heart defects exist, most of which either obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it, or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Other...
. His father Tex Ritter had died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
almost 30 years earlier. Years later, Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck
Amy Yasbeck
Amy Marie Yasbeck is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chapel Davenport on the sitcom Wings from 1994-1997.-Early life:...
testified in court that she had concerns for his health because of his father's death. Ritter was interred at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. 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
Full-body scan
Full-body scan is a scan of the patient's entire body to support the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. It may also be known as a full-body CT scan if computed tomography technology is used, though there are many types of medical imaging technology which can perform full-body scans .-Use in...
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 has already 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 SomersSuzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers is an American actress, author, singer and businesswoman, known for her television roles as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and as Carol Lambert on Step by Step....
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
Zach Braff
Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
, who worked with Ritter on Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
called Ritter a "comic hero" of his and immediately approached series creator Bill Lawrence to get Ritter to play his TV-dad. Katey Sagal
Katey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
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
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
and David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
, were later added as the main cast. Shortly before his death, Ritter did a week-long taping with Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, which was aired as a tribute to him, introduced by Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
, 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
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
for playing the title character of Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
. Upon accepting his trophy, Grammer's remarks included comments made in tribute and remembrance of Ritter. His last films, Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
and Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford's Really Big Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the series of children's books drawn and written by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed by Robert C. Ramirez, produced by Scholastic Entertainment in association with Big Red Dog Productions, and originally released to...
, along with an episode of Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
(His character in this series died as well following Ritter's real life death) and King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, were dedicated in his memory.
On June 6, 2008, a mural of Ritter painted by Eloy Torrez was dedicated at Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
. 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
Aortic aneurysm
An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location...
. 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Barefoot Executive The Barefoot Executive The Barefoot Executive is a live-action Disney film released by Buena Vista Distribution in 1971 starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North and John Ritter , about a pet chimpanzee, named Raffles, who can predict the popularity of television programs... |
Roger | |
| 1971 | Scandalous John Scandalous John Scandalous John is a 1971 film directed by Robert Butler. It stars Brian Keith and Alfonso Arau.-Synopsis:John McCanless was once a gunslinger and has become a cranky old rancher. There is a plan to build a dam which would flood his property... |
Wandell | |
| 1972 | The Other The Other The Other is a 1972 psychological horror film directed by Robert Mulligan, adapted for film by Tom Tryon, from his bestselling novel. It stars Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, and Chris & Martin Udvarnoky.-Plot:... |
Rider | |
| 1973 | The Stone Killer The Stone Killer The Stone Killer is a 1973 film starring Charles Bronson directed by Michael Winner. It came out in between The Mechanic and Death Wish, all three of which teamed up actor/director Bronson and Winner. Norman Fell and John Ritter appear as cops in this film, not too long before the TV series Three's... |
Officer Mort | |
| 1976 | Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (film) Nickelodeon is a 1976 comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, and Tatum O'Neal. According to Bogdanovich, the film was based on true stories told to him by silent movie directors Alan Dwan and Raoul Walsh... |
Franklin Frank | |
| 1978 | Breakfast in Bed Breakfast in Bed "Breakfast in Bed" is a soul–R&B song written by Muscle Shoals songwriters Eddie Hinton and Donnie Fritts for Dusty Springfield. It takes a knowing spin on the line "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", the title of a song which had previously been a number one hit for her in the UK... |
Paul | |
| 1979 | Americathon Americathon Americathon is a 1979 American comedy film starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin, based on a play by Firesign Theatre alumni Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman... |
President Chet Roosevelt | |
| 1980 | Hero at Large Hero at Large Hero at Large is a 1980 comedy film starring John Ritter and Anne Archer. The film was written by former Disney screenwriter, AJ Carothers and directed by Martin Davidson. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams.-Plot:... |
Steve Nichols | |
| 1980 | Wholly Moses! | Satan (The Devil) | |
| 1981 | They All Laughed They All Laughed For the 1937 song by George and Ira Gershwin see They All Laughed They All Laughed is a 1981 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It is based on a screenplay by Bogdanovich and Blaine Novak.-Plot:... |
Charles Rutledge | |
| 1982 | The Flight of Dragons The Flight of Dragons The Flight of Dragons is a 1982 animated movie produced by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. and loosely combining the speculative natural history book of the same name by Peter Dickinson with the novel The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson. The film centres upon a quest undertaken to... |
Peter Dickenson | Voice Direct-to-video |
| 1983 | Sunset Limousine | Alan O'Black | |
| 1985 | Letting Go Letting Go "Letting Go" is a song credited to Paul and Linda McCartney and originally released by Wings on the 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song was released as a single on 4 October 1975 in the United States, and on 18 October 1975 in the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number 41 in the UK, and a... |
Alex | TV Film |
| 1986 | A Smoky Mountain Christmas A Smoky Mountain Christmas A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a 1986 fantasy television film directed by Henry Winkler . It stars Dolly Parton and Lee Majors.-Plot:... |
Judge Harold Benton | (uncredited) |
| 1987 | Real Men Real Men Real Men is a 1987 comedy/sci-fi film starring James Belushi and John Ritter as the heroes: suave, womanizing CIA agent Nick Pirandello and weak and ineffectual insurance agent Bob Wilson .-Plot:... |
Bob Wilson/Agent Pillbox, CIA | |
| 1989 | Skin Deep Skin Deep (1989 film) Skin Deep is a 1989 American film starring John Ritter, written and directed by Blake Edwards.-Plot:Zachary "Zach" Hutton is a successful author who has a weakness for alcohol and beautiful women. Zach's mistress walks in on him in the process of cheating on her, followed by his estranged wife Alex... |
Zachary 'Zach' Hutton | |
| 1990 | Problem Child Problem Child (1990 film) Problem Child is a 1990 American comedy film. It stars John Ritter, Amy Yasbeck, Gilbert Gottfried, Jack Warden, Michael Richards and Michael Oliver. The film was directed by Dennis Dugan.-Plot:... |
'Little' Ben Healy | |
| 1991 | The Real Story of O Christmas Tree | Piney (Voice) | Direct-to-video release |
| 1991 | Problem Child 2 Problem Child 2 Problem Child 2 is the 1991 comedy film sequel to the 1990 sleeper hit Problem Child; a continuation of the exploits of an adopted orphan boy who deliberately wreaks havoc everywhere he goes... |
Ben Healy | |
| 1992 | Noises Off | Garry Lejeune/Roger Tramplemain | |
| 1992 | Stay Tuned | Roy Knable | |
| 1993 | Danielle Steel's Heartbeat | Bill Grant | |
| 1994 | North North (film) North is an American 1994 comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dan Aykroyd, Reba McEntire, and Alan Arkin... |
Ward Nelson | |
| 1995 | The Colony The Colony (film) - Plot :A man moves his family into a suburbia that at first seems fantastic, but soon turns into a nightmare."Set in a high-price Malibu community, this made-for-TV drama wallows in a multitude of extramarital affairs, corporate intrigue and elegant back-stabbing, with murder the logical extension... |
Rick Knowlton | |
| 1996 | Sling Blade Sling Blade Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. It tells the story of a mentally impaired man named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother... |
Vaughan Cunningham | |
| 1997 | Nowhere Nowhere (film) Nowhere is a 1997 film by director and screenwriter Gregg Araki. It stars James Duval and Rachel True as Dark and Mel, a bisexual teen couple who are both sexually promiscuous.... |
Moses Helper | |
| 1997 | A Gun, a Car, a Blonde | Duncan/The Bartender | |
| 1997 | Hacks | Hank | |
| 1998 | Montana Montana (film) Montana is an American crime film released in 1998, directed by Jennifer Leitzes, written by Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber, and produced by Sean Cooley, Zane W. Levitt, and Mark Yellen.... |
Dr. Wexler | |
| 1998 | Shadow of Doubt | Steven Mayer | |
| 1998 | I Woke Up Early the Day I Died I Woke Up Early The Day I Died I Woke Up Early The Day I Died is a camp comedy film written by Edward D. Wood, Jr.. The film, directed by Aris Iliopulos, stars Billy Zane, Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, and Christina Ricci, among many others.-Production:... |
Robert Forrest | |
| 1998 | Bride of Chucky Bride of Chucky Bride of Chucky is a 1998 American comedy horror film directed by Chinese director Ronny Yu. It is the fourth entry in the Child's Play series. The film stars Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif... |
Police Chief Warren Kincaid | |
| 2000 | Panic | Dr. Josh Parks | |
| 2000 | Lost in the Perishing Point Hotel | Christian Therapist | |
| 2000 | Tripfall Tripfall Tripfall is a 2000 thriller film with Eric Roberts , John Ritter , Rachel Hunter , Michael Raynor and Katy Boyer . The film was directed by Serge Rodnunsky, who wrote the script for the film. The music was composed by Evan Evans.- Plot :The family of Tom Williams make holidays in California... |
Tom Williams | |
| 2000 | Terror Tract Terror Tract Terror Tract is a 2000 anthology dark comedy/horror film, featuring John Ritter as a real-estate agent trying to sell a variety of houses to a young couple; each with a horror story associated with it. The segment "Make Me an Offer" is the overall plot of the movie with Ritter and the three... |
Bob Carter | Segment: Make Me an Offer |
| 2001 | Nuncrackers | Narrator | Direct-to-video |
| 2002 | Tadpole Tadpole (film) Tadpole is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick and written by Heather McGowan and Niels Mueller. It stars Sigourney Weaver, Bebe Neuwirth, Aaron Stanford, John Ritter, Robert Iler, and Kate Mara.-Plot:... |
Stanley Grubman | |
| 2002 | Man of the Year Man of the Year A Man of the Year award usually refers to a person nominated as the most influential or meritous in a business, organisation, a specific form of human endeavour, or amongst humanity at large... |
Bill | |
| 2003 | Manhood Manhood (film) -Plot:Jack is a former womanizer and fashion photographer who is put in charge of his sister's 17-year-old-son when she leaves to find herself. During her leave, he attempts to revive his career while re-establishing a relationship with his nephew and son... |
Eli | |
| 2003 | Bad Santa Bad Santa Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star... |
Bob Chipeska | Posthumously released |
| 2004 | Clifford's Really Big Movie Clifford's Really Big Movie Clifford's Really Big Movie is a 2004 American animated film based on the series of children's books drawn and written by Norman Bridwell. This film was directed by Robert C. Ramirez, produced by Scholastic Entertainment in association with Big Red Dog Productions, and originally released to... |
Clifford the Big Red Dog Clifford the Big Red Dog Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series first published in 1963. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company.... (Voice) |
Posthumously released |
| 2006 | Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up | Great Uncle Stew (Voice) | Direct-to-video release Posthumously released |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Crazy World, Crazy People | Various characters | TV special Television special A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular... |
| 1970 | Dan August Dan August Dan August is a short-lived 1970-1971 crime drama television series, which starred Burt Reynolds as the title character: a police lieutenant who investigated homicide cases in his hometown of Santa Luisa, California... |
Episode: "Quadrangle for Death" | |
| 1971, 1977 | Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,... |
Ryan Moore Mike Welles |
2 episodes |
| 1972 to 1976 | The Waltons The Waltons The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television... |
Rev. Matthew Fordwick | 18 episodes |
| 1973 | Medical Center Medical Center (TV series) Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors... |
Ronnie | Episode: "End of the Line" |
| 1973 | Bachelor-at-Law | Ben Sykes | Unsold CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... TV pilot Television pilot A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an... |
| 1973 | M*A*S*H | Pvt. Carter | Episode: "Deal Me Out" |
| 1974 | Kojak | Kenny Soames | Episode: "Deliver Us Some Evil" |
| 1974 | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law is an American legal drama, jointly created by David Victor and former law professor Jerry McNeely, that starred actor Arthur Hill. The series was broadcast on ABC from 1971 to 1974... |
Greg | Episode: "To Keep and Bear Arms" |
| 1974 | The Bob Newhart Show The Bob Newhart Show The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, , to April 1, . Comedian Bob Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers... |
Dave | Episode: "Sorry, Wrong Mother" |
| 1975 | Movin' On Movin' On (TV series) Movin' On is an American drama series that ran for two seasons , between 1974 and 1976. It originally appeared on the NBC television network... |
Casey | Episode: "Landslide" |
| 1975 | Mannix Mannix Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors... |
Cliff Elgin | Episode: "Hardball" |
| 1975 | The Bob Crane Show The Bob Crane Show The Bob Crane Show is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC. The series starred Bob Crane as Bob Wilcox, a man in his 40s who quits his job as an insurance salesman to return to medical school. The series co-starred Patricia Harty as his wife Ellie Wilcox, who becomes the family's... |
Hornbeck | Episode: "Son of the Campus Capers" |
| 1975 | Petrocelli Petrocelli Petrocelli is an American legal drama which ran for two seasons on NBC from September 11, 1974 to March 31, 1976.-Plot:Tony Petrocelli was an Italian-American Harvard-educated lawyer who grew up in South Boston and gave up the big money and frenetic pace of major-metropolitan life to practice in a... |
John Oleson | Episode: "Chain of Command" |
| 1975 | Barnaby Jones Barnaby Jones Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement... |
Joe Rockwell | Episode: "The Price of Terror" |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco The Streets of San Francisco The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros... |
John 'Johnny' Steiner | Episode: "Murder by Proxy" |
| 1975 | The Night That Panicked America The Night That Panicked America The Night That Panicked America is an American made-for-television movie that was originally broadcast on the ABC network on October 31, 1975. The movie dramatizes events surrounding Orson Welles' famous - and infamous - War of the Worlds radio broadcast The Night That Panicked America is an... |
Walter Wingate | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... TV film |
| 1975 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Mary Tyler Moore Show The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977... |
Reverend Chatfield | Episode: "Ted's Wedding" |
| 1975 | The Rookies The Rookies The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:... |
Hap Dawson | Episode: "Reluctant Hero" |
| 1975 to 1976 | Rhoda Rhoda Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,... |
Vince Mazuma Jerry Blocker |
2 episodes |
| 1976 | Starsky and Hutch Starsky and Hutch Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC... |
Tom Cole | Episode: "The Hostages" |
| 1976 | Phyllis Phyllis (TV series) Phyllis is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 11, 1975 to March 13, 1977.Created by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels. it was the second spin-off series from The Mary Tyler Moore Show . The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who was previously Mary Richards'... |
Paul Jameson | Episode: "The New Job" |
| 1976 to 1984 | Three's Company Three's Company Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House.... |
Jack Tripper Jack Tripper Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest. Jack was played by the late John Ritter.-Introduction:... |
174 episodes |
| 1977 to 1983 | The Love Boat The Love Boat The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain... |
Dale Riley/Reinhardt |
3 episodes |
| 1978 | Ringo | Marty | TV film |
| 1978 | Leave Yesterday Behind | Paul Stallings | ABC TV film |
| 1979 | The Ropers The Ropers The Ropers is an American sitcom that ran from March 13, 1979 to May 22, 1980 on ABC. The series is a spinoff of Three's Company and based on the British sitcom George and Mildred... |
Jack Tripper Jack Tripper Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest. Jack was played by the late John Ritter.-Introduction:... |
Episode: "The Party" |
| 1980 | The Associates The Associates (U.S. TV series) The Associates is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1979-1980. The series starred Martin Short and was cancelled after nine of its thirteen episodes aired, but was nominated for two Golden Globes after its cancellation... |
Chick | Episode: "The Censors" |
| 1980 | The Comeback Kid | Bubba Newman | ABC TV film |
| 1981 | Insight Insight (TV series) Insight was an Emmy-winning syndicated television series produced by Paulist Productions that aired 250 episodes from 1960 to 1983. The series presented half-hour dramas illuminating the contemporary search for meaning, freedom, and love... |
Frankie | Episode: "Little Miseries" |
| 1982 | Pray TV Pray TV (1982 film) Pray TV was the title of a made-for-TV drama in 1982 which aired on ABC starring John Ritter and Ned Beatty. The project garnered controversy when Rev. Jerry Falwell, the prominent televangelist, undertook a public campaign in an attempt to keep the show from airing.... |
Tom McPherson | ABC TV film |
| 1982 | 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 |
| 1984 | Pryor's Place Pryor's Place Pryor's Place is a short-lived children's television series that aired on CBS. The live-action series starred comedian, Richard Pryor as himself.-Overview:Despite a reputation for profanity from Richard Pryor, Pryor's Place was aimed at children... |
Episode: "The Showoff" | |
| 1984 to 1985 | Three's a Crowd Three's a Crowd Three's a Crowd is an American television sitcom spinoff of Three's Company... |
Jack Tripper Jack Tripper Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest. Jack was played by the late John Ritter.-Introduction:... |
22 episodes |
| 1985 | Letting Go | Alex | ABC TV film |
| 1986 | Living Seas | Host | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... TV film |
| 1986 | Unnatural Causes | Frank Coleman | NBC TV film |
| 1986 | A Smoky Mountain Christmas A Smoky Mountain Christmas A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a 1986 fantasy television film directed by Henry Winkler . It stars Dolly Parton and Lee Majors.-Plot:... |
Judge Harold Benton | ABC film |
| 1986 | Life With Lucy Life With Lucy Life with Lucy is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The show ran on the ABC network in 1986, and unlike Ball's previous hits on television, it was a critical and ratings flop.- Premise :... |
Himself | Guest Appearance |
| 1987 | The Last Fling The Last Fling The Last Fling is a 1987 romantic comedy that stars John Ritter and Connie Selleca.Attorney Phillip Reed is tired of one night stands. He then meets a woman at the zoo. The Woman is Gloria who's getting married the next week. When she meets Phillip she lies to him and tells him her name is Marsha... |
Phillip Reed | ABC TV film |
| 1987 | Prison for Children | David Royce | CBS TV film |
| 1987 to 1989 | Hooperman Hooperman Hooperman is a U.S. television series starring John Ritter. It ran for two seasons on ABC, from 1987 to 1989. A comedy-drama, the series was created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher who were the team responsible for creating L.A. Law.... |
Det. Harry Hooperman | 42 episodes |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday Mickey's 60th Birthday Mickey's 60th Birthday is the 1988 television special broadcast on the Walt Disney anthology television series on November 13, 1988 on NBC. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 60th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse character... |
Dudley Goode | TV special |
| 1988 | Tricks of the Trade | Donald Todsen | Cameo CBS TV film |
| 1989 | My Brother's Wife | Barney | ABC TV film |
| 1990 | Stephen King's It It (1990 film) It is a 1990 horror television miniseries based on the novel of the same name. The story revolves around an inter-dimensional predatory life-form that is simply referred to as "It", which has the ability to transform itself into its prey's worst fears allowing it to exploit the fears and phobias... |
Adult Ben "Haystack" Hanscom | ABC TV film |
| 1990 | The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story is a 1990 film that stars John Ritter as Lyman Frank Baum, the man who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and thirteen of the other Oz books. Also starring in this TV movie was Annette O'Toole as Baum's supportive wife Maud, and Rue McClanahan who played... |
L. Frank Baum L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz... |
NBC TV film |
| 1991 | The Cosby Show The Cosby Show The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992... |
Ray Evans | Episode: "Total Control" |
| 1991 | The Summer My Father Grew Up | Paul | NBC TV film |
| 1991 | Anything But Love Anything but Love Anything But Love was an American television sitcom, which aired on ABC from March 7, 1989 to June 3, 1992, spanning four seasons and 56 episodes. The show starred Richard Lewis as Marty Gold and Jamie Lee Curtis as Hannah Miller, coworkers at a Chicago magazine with a mutual romantic attraction to... |
Patrick Serreau | 5 episodes |
| 1992 | Fish Police Fish Police (1992 TV series) Fish Police is an animated television series from Hanna-Barbera based on the comic book series that first aired on CBS in 1992, lasting only six episodes over one season. In February of that year, three episodes of the series aired, but the show was promptly axed after failing in the television... |
Inspector Gill | Voice |
| 1992 to 1994 | Hearts Afire Hearts Afire Hearts Afire is a sitcom that aired from September 14, 1992 to February 1, 1995 on CBS. It starred John Ritter and Markie Post, with Post portraying a journalist and Ritter playing a senator's aide.... |
John Hartman | 54 episodes |
| 1993 | Heartbeat Heartbeat (1993 film) Heartbeat, also known as Danielle Steel's Heartbeat, is a 1993 television film directed by Michael Miller. The film is based upon the 1991 novel of the same name written by Danielle Steel... |
Bill Grant | NBC TV film |
| 1993 | The Only Way Out | Jeremy Carlisle | ABC TV film |
| 1993 | The Larry Sanders Show The Larry Sanders Show The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the... |
Himself | Episode: "Off Camera" |
| 1994 | Dave's World Dave's World Dave's World is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1993 to 1997. The series was based on the writing of Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry.-Plot:... |
John Hartman | Episode: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor" |
| 1995 | Gramps | Clarke MacGruder | NBC TV film |
| 1995 | The Colony | Rick Knowlton | TV film |
| 1995 | NewsRadio NewsRadio NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios... |
Dr. Frank Westford | Episode: "The Shrink" |
| 1996 | Unforgivable | Paul Hegstrom | CBS TV film |
| 1996 | Wings | Stuart Davenport | Episode: "Love Overboard" |
| 1996 | For Hope For Hope For Hope is a 1996 ABC TV movie starring Dana Delany and directed by Bob Saget. Based on Saget's sister Gay, the movie showed the experience of a young woman fatally afflicted with the disease scleroderma... |
Date #5 | uncredited ABC TV film |
| 1996 to 1999 | Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della... |
Mike O'Connor Tom McKinsley |
2 episodes |
| 1997 | Loss of Faith | Bruce Simon Barker | TV film |
| 1997 | Mercenary | Jonas Ambler | HBO TV film |
| 1997 | A Child's Wish | Ed Chandler | CBS TV film |
| 1997 | Dead Man's Gun Dead Man's Gun Dead Man's Gun was a western anthology series which ran on Showtime from 1997 to 1999. The series followed the travels of a gun as it passed to a new character in each episode. The gun would change the life of whomever possessed it.... |
Harry McDonacle | Segment: "The Great McDonacle" |
| 1997 | Over the Top Over the Top (TV series) Over the Top is an American sitcom starring Tim Curry, Annie Potts and Steve Carell. The series premiered on ABC on October 21, 1997. Although 12 episodes were produced, the series was canceled after only three episodes had aired.-Synopsis:... |
Justin Talbot | Episode: "The Nemesis" |
| 1997 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Ted Buchanan | Episode: "Ted" |
| 1997 to 2003 | King of the Hill King of the Hill King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas... |
Eugene Grandy (Voice) | 4 episodes |
| 1998 | Chance of a Lifetime | Tom Maguire | CBS TV film |
| 1998 | Ally McBeal Ally McBeal Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia... |
George Madison | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Dead Husbands Dead Husbands Dead Husbands is a 1998 romance comedy thriller starring Nicollette Sheridan, John Ritter, Sonja Smits, Donna Pescow, Amy Yasbeck and Sheila McCarthy. It was directed by Paul Shapiro and written by Bob Randall and Warren Taylor.-Cast:... |
Dr. Carter Elston | TV film |
| 1999 | Veronica's Closet Veronica's Closet Veronica's Closet is a sitcom which aired on NBC from September 25, 1997, to June 27, 2000.The show starred Kirstie Alley as Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, the head of her own lingerie company.- Season one :... |
Tim | Episode: "Veronica's Favorite Year" |
| 1999 | Holy Joe | Joe Cass | CBS TV film |
| 1999 | It Came from the Sky It Came From the Sky (film) It Came From the Sky, also known as Visiteurs impromptus, Les was a 1999 made-for-TV movie which was a comedy drama that starred Yasmine Bleeth, John Ritter, Christopher Lloyd and JoBeth Williams.-Plot:... |
Donald Bridges | TV film |
| 1999 | Lethal Vows Lethal Vows Lethal Vows is an American drama/thriller television movie starring John Ritter, Marg Helgenberger and Megan Gallagher. The movie premiered October 13, 1999, on CBS.-Synopsis:... |
Dr. David Farris | CBS TV film |
| 2000 | Chicago Hope Chicago Hope Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr... |
Joe Dysmerski | Episode: "Simon Sez" |
| 2000 | Batman Beyond Batman Beyond Batman Beyond is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy... |
Dr. David Wheeler (Voice) | Episode: "The Last Resort" |
| 2000 | Family Law Family Law (TV series) Family Law is a television drama starring Kathleen Quinlan as divorced lawyer Lynn Holt, who attempted to start her own law firm after her lawyer husband took all their old clients... |
Father Andrews | Episode: "Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law" |
| 2000 to 2003 | Clifford the Big Red Dog | Clifford | Voice |
| 2000 to 2002 | Felicity | Mr. Andrew Covington | 7 episodes |
| 2001 | Tucker Tucker (TV series) Tucker is a television family comedy series that aired on NBC from October 2, 2000 to March 27, 2001.-Premise:Tucker's parents have divorced, and so he is forced to move into his despised aunt Claire's house, with her decidedly calmer airplane pilot husband Jimmy and strange cousin Leon. Originally... |
Marty | Episode: "Homewrecker for the Holidays" |
| 2002 | The Ellen Show The Ellen Show The Ellen Show is a television sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres that aired during the 2001–2002 season on CBS. It was DeGeneres's second attempt at a sitcom, after Ellen on ABC , but it was unable to garner strong ratings and was quickly cancelled.After coming out of the closet as a lesbian on her... |
Percy Moss | Episode: "Gathering Moss" |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Dr. Richard Manning | Episode: "Monogamy" |
| 2002 | Breaking News | Lloyd Fuchs | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2002 | Scrubs Scrubs (TV series) Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes... |
Sam Dorian | 2 episodes |
| 2002 to 2003 | 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003... |
Paul Hennessey | 31 episodes |
Awards and nominations
Chlotrudis Awards- 1997: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" – Sling Blade
DVD Exclusive Awards
DVD Exclusive Awards
The DVD Exclusive Awards is an award that honors direct to video productions. The awards were first held in 2001. They are awarded by online periodical Video Business and The Digital Entertainment Group....
- 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
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...
- 1988: Won, "Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program" – Hooperman
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
- 1997: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast" – Sling Blade (shared w/co-stars)
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
- 1983: "Star on the Walk of Fame" – 6627 Hollywood Boulevard; he and Tex RitterTex RitterWoodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
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.