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John Ritter

John Ritter TV Listings

ChannelDate & TimeTitleBuy
TVLANDSat, Aug 30, 4:00 AMThree's CompanyBuy
PBSSat, Aug 30, 8:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
IFCSat, Aug 30, 9:00 PMSling BladeBuy
IFCSun, Aug 31, 3:00 AMSling BladeBuy
TVLANDSun, Aug 31, 4:00 AMThree's CompanyBuy
PBSSun, Aug 31, 8:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
TVLANDMon, Sep 1, 4:00 AMThree's CompanyBuy
PBSMon, Sep 1, 6:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
FLIXeMon, Sep 1, 9:15 AMNorthBuy
PBSMon, Sep 1, 9:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
PBSMon, Sep 1, 10:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
COMEDYMon, Sep 1, 3:00 PMBad SantaBuy
TVLANDTue, Sep 2, 4:00 AMThree's CompanyBuy
PBSTue, Sep 2, 6:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
PBSTue, Sep 2, 9:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
PBSTue, Sep 2, 10:30 AMClifford the Big Red DogBuy
ABCFAMTue, Sep 2, 3:00 PM8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage DaughterBuy
ABCFAMTue, Sep 2, 3:30 PM8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage DaughterBuy
LMNTue, Sep 2, 10:00 PMThe Truth About LyingBuy
TVLANDWed, Sep 3, 4:00 AMThree's CompanyBuy
more listings

John Ritter Biography

John Ritter
  • Birth Name: Johnathan Southworth Ritter
  • Birth Place: Burbank, CA
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 09/17/1948, Virgo
  • Date of Death: 09/11/2003
  • Profession: Actor; producer
Although this boyishly handsome actor was known for evoking laughter with pratfalls and punch lines, it's tough to think about Ritter without getting misty-eyed. The son of singer-actor-cowboy Tex Ritter, he tackled myriad TV guest spots and a recurring part as a reverend on The Waltons before landing his seminal role as the hilarious and horny Jack Tripper on Three's Company. For eight silly seasons, Ritter managed to wring laughs out of the most ludicrous, lowbrow lines and gags, earning an Emmy and a Golden Globe in the process. But when his short-lived spin-off, Three's a Crowd, tanked, as did his subsequent sitcom, Hooperman, it looked like Ritter was on his way to becoming a has-been. Yet the versatile actor bounced back, proving his talents in a slew of TV dramas (a terminally ill Vietnam vet in Unnatural Causes, Wizard of Oz author Frank L. Baum in The Dreamer of Oz) and continuing to stretch his comedic muscles in sitcoms and on the big screen in two Problem Child movies, opposite his future wife Amy Yasbeck. In the '90s, a doughier Ritter reinvented himself once again, this time as a capable character actor. He was unrecognizable as a shy gay man in Sling Blade, and went on to play a number of supporting parts in indie films while simultaneously essaying small-screen roles, including two decidedly different romantic turns, one funny on Ally McBeal, the other deadly on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In 2002, his family-oriented sitcom 8 Simple Rules became a surprise hit and Ritter was again a prime-time star. But the next year tragedy struck without warning: On September 11, 2003, a few days before his 55th birthday and a week before his fourth wedding anniversary, he collapsed on the set and was rushed to the hospital, where he died of an undetected heart condition. His untimely passing was mourned by his colleagues and by generations of viewers who grew up giggling with him.
John Ritter Fast Facts:
  • Was student body president at Hollywood High School.
  • Executive-produced the sitcom Anything but Love and made guest appearances on the series.
  • Provided the voice of the larger-than-life pooch on the animated children's series Clifford the Big Red Dog and in the film Clifford's Really Big Movie; earned multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program.
  • Made his Broadway debut in 2000 in Neil Simon's The Dinner Party with friend and fellow '70s sitcom star Henry Winkler.
    John Ritter Relationships:
  • Carly Ritter - Daughter
  • Tom Ritter - Brother
  • Tyler Ritter - Son
  • Stella Ritter - Daughter
  • Jason Ritter - Son
  • Amy Yasbeck - Wife
  • Tex Ritter - Father
  • Dorothy Fay - Mother
  • Nancy Morgan - Ex-wife

    • John Ritter Awards:
  • 1979 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
  • 1980 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
  • 1984 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Winner
  • 1988 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
  • 1999 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1978 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1981 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1984 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Winner
  • 1988 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Nominee
  • 1987 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee

  • College:
  • University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (BFA in Theater, 1971)
John Ritter Biography, TV Listings and More from TVGuide.com
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John Ritter - Of Sound Mind & Body
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John Ritter Is Man of the Year
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