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His portrayal of Jack Tripper in Three’s Company earned him both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, solidifying his legacy in television history.

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Full Name: Johnathan Southworth Ritter
Stage Name: John Ritter
Born: Born: September 17, 1948,
Died: September 11 2003
Age: 54 years old
Birthplace: Burbank, California, United States
Nationality: American
Occupation: American actor and comedian.
Height: 1.8 m
Parent: Tex Ritter ,Dorothy Fay,
Siblings: Tom Ritter
Spouse: Amy Yasbeck (m.

Additionally, he lent his voice to animation, most notably as the beloved Clifford in PBS’s Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000–2003), earning four Daytime Emmy nominations.
Ritter’s final significant television role was as Paul Hennessy in ABC’s sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (2002–2003).

At the height of the show’s success, he earned up to $150,000 per episode, solidifying his status as one of television’s most beloved comedic actors.
NOTICE!! His father, Tex Ritter, was a pioneering country singer and actor—a singing cowboy who made it onto Broadway and starred in dozens of Westerns.

John walked over, threw his jacket over me, and said, ‘Cover up! Comedy genius.
A master of physical comedy, he was once praised by Don Knotts as “the greatest physical comedian on the planet.”
Throughout his career, Ritter appeared in over 100 films and television productions. Handsome, funny and full of goodwill.”
Chris Mann added, “He made us forget our worries.

Lucille Ball was a big fan and even hosted a retrospective. Then they moved it and it was never the same.” Ed Asner, who co-starred, wasn’t thrilled either.
He built his wealth through a diverse body of work in television, film, and voice acting, with his most iconic role being Jack Tripper on Three’s Company. His film debut came with Disney’s The Barefoot Executive (1971), but his breakthrough arrived with the sitcom Three’s Company (1977–1984), where he played the lovable and comedic Jack Tripper.

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He started at USC as a psychology major with dreams of getting into politics, but it didn’t stick.

They met on Problem Child, worked together several times and had a daughter, Stella (now Noah), in 1998. Frank Westford, NewsRadio(also known as News Radio), NBC, 1995

Mike O'Connor, Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1996

Stuart, Casey's husband, Wings, NBC, 1996

Justin Talbot, Over the Top,1997

Boyfriend, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, WB, 1997

"The Great McDonacle", Dead Man's Gun, Showtime, 1997

Voice of Eugene Grandy, King of the Hill, Fox, 1997

George Madison, Ally McBeal, Fox, 1998

Sheriff Tom McKinsley, Touched by an Angel, CBS, 1998

Photographer, Veronica's Closet, NBC, 1998

Also appeared on Playhouse 90, CBS.

Miniseries

Ben Hanscom, It(also known as Stephen King's "It"), ABC Novel for Television, ABC, 1990

Bill Grant, Heartbeat(also known as Danielle Steel's "Heartbeat"), NBC, 1993

Other Television Appearances

Appeared in The Lie, also appeared in informercials promoting Where There's a Will, There's an "A" educational tapes.

Television Work

Executive Producer; Series

(With others) Have Faith, ABC, 1989

(With Robert Myman) Anything but Love, ABC, 1989-92

Executive Producer; Pilots

(With others) Poochinski, NBC, 1990

Film Appearances

Roger, The Barefoot Executive, Buena Vista, 1971

Wendell, Scandalous John, Buena Vista, 1971

Rider, The Other(also known as L'Autre), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1972

Hart, The Stone Killer, Columbia, 1973

Franklin Frank, Nickelodeon, Columbia, 1976

Paul, Breakfast in Bed, William Haugse Productions, 1978

Chet Roosevelt, Americathon, United Artists, 1979

Steve Nichols, Hero at Large, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1980

The devil, Wholly Moses!, Columbia, 1980

Charles Rutledge, They All Laughed, Twentieth Century-Fox/United Artists, 1981

Peter Dickinson, The Flight of Dragons(also known as Flight ofthe Dragon), Warner Home Video, 1982

Bob Wilson, Real Men, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1987

Zach Hutton, Skin Deep, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1989

Ben Healy, Problem Child, Universal, 1990

Ben Healy, Problem Child 2, Universal, 1991

Garry Lejeune and Roger Tramplemain, Noises Off, Touchstone/AmblinEntertainment, 1992

Roy Knable, Stay Tuned, Warner Bros., 1992

Ward Nelson, North, Columbia, 1994

Rick Knowlton, The Colony, MCA/Universal Home Video, 1996

Vaughan Cunningham, Sling Blade(also known as Reckoning), Miramax, 1996

Moses Helper, Nowhere, Fine Line Features, 1997

Reasonable Doubt, Reasonable Doubt Productions, 1997

Dr.

1999–2003), Nancy Morgan (m. “They were rewriting scenes after the audience had gone home. Billy Bob Thornton got up and told stories. Even in death, John Ritter made people laugh.

The guy everyone loved

It’s not just a Hollywood cliché when people say, “Everybody loved John Ritter.” In his case, they really did.

It was the best thing I’d ever done. After the movie, John went on The Tonight Show and he brought out a tiny Captain Avenger costume Sandy had made for his newborn son, Jason. He starts out pretending, but by the end, he becomes a real hero. It started strong, but creative shifts in Season 2—including a move to a small-town newspaper setting—hurt it.

Markie Post remembered, “It was heartbreaking.

Beatles fan… So many things.” He also compares John to Dick Van Dyke — though he’s quick to add that Ritter had a broader dramatic range.

Even offscreen, John stayed grounded.