John Ritter

John Ritter
Ritter in 1977
Born	Johnathan Southworth Ritter (1948-09-17)September 17, 1948 Burbank, California, U.S.
Died	September 11, 2003(2003-09-11) (aged 54) Burbank, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Aortic dissection
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–2003
Known for	Three's Company Three's a Crowd
Spouses	Nancy Morgan ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1996)​ Amy Yasbeck ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	4, including Jason and Tyler
Parents	Tex Ritter (father) Dorothy Fay (mother)

Johnathan Southworth Ritter^[1][2] (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ABC sitcom Three's Company (1977–1984), and received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role in 1984. 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". 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).