John Ritter

American actor

Born: September 17, 1948 · Died: September 11, 2003

Famous Persons

Who was John Ritter?

John Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. He was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. 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".

Historical significance

He played Jack Tripper on the popular ABC sitcom Three's Company (1977–1984), and received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1984. 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), a turn which garnered him a posthumous Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Sources and further reading

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Wikipedia source

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MLA

“John Ritter.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/john-ritter/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

APA

John Ritter. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/john-ritter/

Chicago

“John Ritter.” thisDay. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/john-ritter/.

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