In Loving Memory of John Ritter

Born September 17, 1948 - Passed Away September 11, 2003

This memorial website was created in the memory of John Ritter , born in Burbank on September 17, 1948 and passed away on September 11, 2003 at 55 years of age.

Jonathan Southworth Ritter was an American actor and comedian. He was the son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter. And the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. Ritter is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ABC sitcom Three's Company . For which he received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1984. He 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. Ritter appeared in over 100 films and television series combined and performed on Broadway, with roles including adult Ben Hanscom in It , Problem Child , Problem Child 2 , and Bad Santa in 2003 . 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 , for which he received four Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as Paul Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules and an uncredited role for providing the normal voice as Three in Seven Little Monsters . Ritter was born at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. 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 , was an actress. He had an older brother, Thomas "Tom" Matthews. 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 . 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.