Birth Place: Burbank, CA
Birth Name: Johnathan Southworth Ritter
Date of death: September 11, 2003 (aged 54 years old)
Cause of death: Aortic Aneurysm unexpected heart attack
Occupation: Actor
Sign: Virgo
Chinese Sign: Rat (element: Earth)
Height: 6' 1" (1m85)
Awards: 1984 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy (for Three's Company)
He died on September 11, the day of his 5 year old daughter's birthday, and a day before his wife's birthday he would have been 55 on Sept 17. He is the son of singer Tex Ritter. He is/was married to Amy Yasbeck.
John is the father of actor, Jason Ritter.
John Ritter came to national prominence as the star of television's long-running hit comedy series Three's Company, for which he won Emmy, Golden Globe and People's Choice Awards. He returned to the weekly format with Hooperman in 1987, receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and winning a People's Choice Award. His next television comedy series, Hearts Afire, ran from 1992 through 1995. This fall, Ritter will star in the ABC comedy 8 Simple Rules About Dating my Teenage Daughter.
A native of Los Angeles, John is the younger son of Western film star and country music legend Tex Ritter. John Ritter graduated from Hollywood High School, where he was Student Body President, and from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Drama.
Ritter has starred in more than 25 television movies, including Unnatural Causes, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor; Stephen King's It, The Dreamer of Oz, The Only Way Out, Unforgivable and A Child's Wish, featuring a special appearance by President Clinton. He has been a guest star on many popular television series, recently earning an Emmy nomination for his role on Ally McBeal. He is also the voice of Clifford, The Big Red Dog, which earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination. Ritter's motion picture credits include Peter Bogdanovich's Noises Off (1992) and They All Laughed (1981), Blake Edwards' Problem Child (1990) and Skin Deep (1989), and Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade (1996). He also starred in the highly praised Panic (2000), which Roger Ebert called one of the year's best films.
He has appeared in more than 50 plays and recently completed a nine-month starring role in the Broadway premiere of Neil Simon's The Dinner Party.
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