On 17 September 1948 in Burbank, California USA, legendary country singing star/actor Tex Ritter and his wife, Dorothy Fay (nee Southworth) celebrated the arrival of their second son Johnathan Southworth Ritter. Since their firstborn, Tom, did not follow his father into showbusiness but instead became an attorney, Tex and Dorothy had no way of knowing that little Johnathan would one day be a famous TV and movie actor known to audiences simply as John Ritter.
With her husband's long-held connections with country music, Dorothy Fay Ritter became the official 'greeter' at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennassee, and both John and his brother visit often. Since 1977 the brothers have hosted the annual United Cerebral Palsy Telethon (a neurological condition particularly close to their hearts because of Tom's triumph over the disability) and have raised millions of dollars for the organisation over the years.
Tex Ritter did not want his son to become an actor and, at first, John did his best to comply with his father's wishes. He was educated at Hollywood High School, where he served as student body President, and then went on to the University of Southern California where he majored in Psychology and minored in Architecture. After 2 years, he was persuaded (by a cute girl!) to join a drama class given by leading drama coach and actress Nina Foch. The lure of the 'greasepaint' beckoned and John changed his major to Theater Arts, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama. As well as Nina Foch, he studied acting with Stella Adler and the Harvey Lembeck Comedy Workshop.
In 1968 and '69 John appeared in several stage performances in England, Scotland (at the Edinburgh Festival), Holland and Germany, in such works as Love Letters, The Unvarnished Truth, The Glass Menagerie, Forty Carats, Butterflies Are Free, As You Like It, The Tempest, Nevada, Who's Happy Now? and Desire Under The Elms. Fortunately, Tex Ritter was entertaining troops in Germany at the same time as his son was performing at an air base there. He recognised that 'something special' in John and gave him his blessing to go into acting if that was what he really wanted. Sadly, Mr Ritter Snr. died in 1974 before his son achieved the celebrity status that arrived in 1977 with the TV series Three's Company. His movie debut was in 1971 with "The Barefoot Executive".
Although there were guest appearances in several television shows which obviously impressed TV moguls (e.g. 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' (1970), 'Dan August' (1970), 'Hawaii Five-O' (1971 & '77), 'The Streets of San Francisco' (1972), 'The Love Boat', 'M.A.S.H.' and 'Kojak' (both in 1973) and a regular spot in 'The Waltons' (1972-6 : his father's favourite show), it was "Three's Company" that launched John into the kind of TV superstardom from which he has never looked back. In addition to guesting on all the major TV shows he has hosted many others, including a comedy special for ABC entitled "John Ritter: Being of Sound Mind and Body", a CBS special, "The Secret World of the Very Young", a series of sixty-second vignettes for syndication called "History in the Company of Children", the last 3 years of "The World's Greatest Magic Show", "Amazing Animals","The History of Toys and Games", "TV Road Trip" etc. etc.. He formed his own production company, Adam Productions, in 1984, and this has been responsible for his own starring vehicle "Hooperman" as well as series for other actors, one of which starred Jamie Lee Curtis "Anything But Love" and John guest-starred in 5 episodes and looked devastatingly handsome in a kilt!
He has also appeared in instructional videos including 'Natural Childbirth' (with his first wife,Nancy Morgan), and 'The American Red Cross Emergency Test'. It's almost impossible to keep up with everything this energetic actor has done. As if acting, producing and hosting wasn't enough, he has also performed on several audio books: "Flight of the Reindeer", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Oh Christmas Tree", "White Fang", at least 3 of humorist Dave Barry's works, i.e. "Guide to Guys", "Funniest Stuff", "More Funniest Stuff", all of which are hilarious, and, in 2002, "Stargirl".
It was towards the end of the 1970's that he met actress Nancy Morgan, the lady who became his wife for 19 years and with whom he had 3 children; sons Jason (now an actor in his own right) and Tyler and daughter Carly. John and Nancy appeared on screen several times together e.g. 'Tricks of the Trade' (1988), 'Americathon' (1979), 'Heartbeat' (1993) and an episode of 'Hooperman' (1988) but sadly divorced in 1996.
While he has tended to stay primarily in the medium of television rather than motion pictures, he was as much in demand on the day he died as he was back in his 'apartment-sharing' days. He was considered an American icon, a staple in television; someone who could always be relied on to give a terrific performance and lift any show because audiences loved him. According to the IMDb, he completed 10 movies in 1998; several TV guest-starring roles, including the highly acclaimed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (in which his role as 'Ted' the android gave the episode its highest viewing audience of the season at the time) and "Ally McBeal" (for which he was nominated for an Emmy award in 1999); and, after what must have been a difficult time for a while, his private life became happy again - John's then fiancee, actress Amy Yasbeck gave birth to their baby daughter (Stella) in on 11 September 1998, and John and Amy were married on 18 September 1999, the day after his 51st birthday. John sadly died on September 11th 2003 at approximately 10 p.m. He will be greatly missed.
Jack Tripper -
Home Phone #�555-6350
Apartment 201
Roper Apartment House
Santa Monica, CA
Jack is a chef in training at Los Angeles Technical School. A graduate of San Diego High School, Jack is single, 6 feet tall, 180 lbs., has a fear of flying and served a tour in the Navy (a reunion of his Navy buddies inspired a tattoo of a heart on his behind. The tattoo reads: "The Love Butt."
Jack shares a $300 a month apartment with two single female roommates: Chrissy Snow, a secretary and Janet Wood, a florist shop salesgirl. To secure his living arrangement with two females so the landlords Mr. & Mrs. Roper [and later Ralph Furley] don't object, Jack poses as a homosexual.� Both Mr. Roper and Mr. Furley were very straight and Jack�s alleged homosexuality always made them uneasy. They frequently misinterpreted bits of simple dialog as gay talk.
Jack first met Janet and Chrisy when he crashed the girl�s going away party for their roommate Eleanor Garvey. Consequently, Jack woke up in the bathtub the next morning. In need of a new roommate to help with the rent (and the cooking), Janet and Chrissy agreed to let Jack move into the apartment as long as he kept up the gay ruse. On occasion, however, Jack�s hormones made him frisky, but overall, this loveable ladies-man behaved like a gentleman and the three happily co-habitated. Later Chrissy left and Jack had to share the apartment with Chrissy�s cousin Cynthia �Cindy� Snow, a UCLA student and then later with Terri Alden, a nurse.
Jack's favorite hangout is The Regal Beagle, a local British pub. His close male friend is Larry Dallas, a playboy and used-car salesman who lives upstairs. Jack's dream girl is a beautiful local called "Greedy" Gretchen. Jack's favorite film of all times is Doctor Zhivago.
After Janet got married to her fianc� Philip Dawson and Terri left for a job in Hawaii, Jack moved into apartment #203 over �Jack�s Bistro,� his new opened French restaurant at 834 Ocean Vista located a mile from the Roper�s Apartments. Jack received his early restaurant training as a chef at Angelino�s Restaurant. He worked along side Felipe, an Hispanic kitchen worker who held a grudge that Mr. Angelino overlooked his six years of service and hired instead newcomer, Jack Tripper.
Jack shared his new living accommodations with his flight attendant girlfriend, Victoria �Vicki� Bradford whom he met on a business flight on return to San Francisco. Fearful of commitment ever since her own parents got divorced, Vicki turned down Jack�s proposal of marriage, but instead she agreed to live together with him.
Ironically, Jack new landlord is Vicki�s wealthy father, James Bradford, the owner of Allied Waste Disposal who hauls away the Bistro�s trash. Now Jack�s challenge is to make his business a success and prove to Vicki�s disapproving father that he is a worthy suitor for his daughter. Mr. Bradford purchased the building where Jack operated his bistro in an effort to break up his daughter's relationship. He now owned 10% of the Jack's restaurant. Helping Jack run the bistro was his assistant cook E.Z. Taylor, an eccentric beach bum.
Jack�s relatives included his father Jack Tripper, Sr., [mentioned as both a country signer and later as an unemployed salesman going through hard times}; his mother [she naively replies "Jack was always a� happy boy," when someone tells her Jack is gay]; his brother, Lee [Jack is jealous of Lee because he always does everything better than him]; Austin, [a make believe twin brother in a cowboy hat who was invented by Jack In order to date Furley's niece, Veronica]; Jack's grandparents [who live in Saint Louis - Jack pretended to be a doctor to impress Grandpa]; Jack's Uncle Fremont [who gave Mr. Roper a bogus check]; and Jack's Aunt Mae (from whom Jack and Vicky tried to hide the fact they were living together).
Another member of Jack's childhood family was his dog, Cocoa. Unfortunately, Cocoa ran away when Jack was in the third grade.
Of all of his relatives, Jack has a number of memories about his father.� One embarrassing moment happened during a little league game, when Jack's father ran out in the middle of a game and caught a fly ball for him. One happier moment that Jack recalls happened when he was nine year old. This is when Jack�and his dad entered a talent show at a Kiwanis picnic and sang an old English folk song [Jack did the sound effects: "Oh, there was an old man and he had a sow...."]. In high school Jack almost got expelled from Junior High, but his father came to the rescue and talked vice-principal Davis into changing his mind. Years later, Jack's father again came to his rescue when he talks Mr. Angelino, Jack's former boss,�out of turning the building where Jack operated his restaurant [Jack's Bistro] into a parking lot.
The last we heard, Jack was still running Jack Bistro's, offering up fine French cuisine and courting the love of his life, Vicki Bradford with hopes that one day she will overcome her fear of marriage and become his wife.
"Three's Company" Theme Song Lyrics
Come and Knock on our door
We've been waiting for you
Where the kisses are hers and hers and his...
Threes Company too!
Come and dance on our floor
Take a step that is new
We've a lovable space that needs your face...
Threes Company too!
You'll see that life is a ball again
Laughter is callin for you
Down at our rendezvous
Three's Company too!
"Three's A Crowd" Theme Song Lyrics
We're gonna weather the odds and win,
Lovers they can't divide,
Making it side by side.
Trouble may be around us,
Standing our ground and we won't give in,
Swimmin' against the tide,
Makin' it,
Side by side!
Oh love is fun,
Now two makes one,
We can laugh and cry,
Cause love's a crazy ride,
When we're side by side.
