John Ritter

John Ritter

Birth : 1948-09-17, Burbank, California, USA

Death : 2003-09-11

History

Johnathan Southworth "John" Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for playing Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively. Don Knotts called him the "Greatest physical comedian on the planet". Ritter's final films Bad Santa, Clifford's Really Big Movie and Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up were all dedicated in his memory. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Ritter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Profile

John Ritter
John Ritter

Movies

John Ritter: Behind Closed Doors
Himself (archive)
A look at the life and prolific career of the talented comic actor known as Jack Tripper on the hit 1977 sitcom “Three's Company.”
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
Self (archive footage)
For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office across eight terrifying, spectacular films.
Mr. Thornton Goes to Hollywood
Himself (Archive footage)
A 14-part documentary that explores the life and career of Billy Bob Thornton, chronicling his journey that led him to work on Sling Blade. The piece features plenty of interview snippets with cast, crew, friends, and family; clips from other Thornton films; the origins of the Karl Childers character; how Sling Blade shaped his career; and more.
Clifford's Really Big Movie
Clifford the Big Red Dog (voice)
Fearing that he costs too much to feed, Clifford decides to join a traveling carnival so he can enter a talent contest in hopes of winning a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies treats. Joined by his friends Cleo and T-Bone, Clifford meets up with Shackleford the High-Flying Ferret and Rodrigo Chihuahua of Steel, as they work together to turn a broken-down act into a record-breaking show.
Clifford the Big Red Dog: Rock N' Roll Clifford
Clifford (voice)
Bad Santa
In Memory Of
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.
Bad Santa
Bob Chipeska
A miserable conman and his partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper to rob department stores on Christmas Eve. But they run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.
Manhood
Eli
A black comedy about a reformed womanizer who struggles to keep his family together.
The Golden Girls: Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series
Lifetime's "Intimate Portrait" series shines a spotlight on the Golden Girls -- Bea Arthur, Betty White, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan -- with a collection of four programs offering an up-close look at the remarkable lives of the hit show's stars. Valerie Harper, John Ritter and Alex Trebek narrate this tribute, with guests including Angela Lansbury, Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Rosie O'Donnell and many others.
Time Machine: When Cowboys Were King
Self
Take a nostalgic ride through movie history and relive the glory days of the Western -- when kids spent their Saturdays watching double-feature matinees and eating popcorn that cost a nickel. Through movie clips and interviews with film critics, actors and fans, this tribute to a bygone era explores the genre from the early days of the Thomas Edison Studios to the heyday of cowboy stars Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson and Gene Autry and the Singing Cowboys.
Tadpole
Stanley Grubman
Beautiful, sophisticated women are all over Oscar Grubman. He is sensitive and compassionate, speaks French fluently, is passionate about Voltaire, and thinks the feature that tells the most about a woman is her hands. On the train home from Chauncey Academy for the Thanksgiving weekend, Oscar confides in his best friend that he has plans for this vacation--he will win the heart of his true love. But there is one major problem--Oscar's true love is his stepmother Eve.
Man of the Year
Bill
Bill is the guest of honor as the "Man of the Year". A very successful head of a large energy firm, he is a man with many dark secrets. His best friend, Stuart, hosts the party at his ritzy ultra modern Hollywood Hills home. During the course of the night, secrets will be revealed, trusts will be broken and relationships will change forever.
Nuncrackers
Narrator
Fourth musical in the Nunsense series.
Panic
Dr. Josh Parks
Alex is going through a midlife crisis and it has become a very difficult time for him. His marriage is struggling, he's worried about his son, and his job of killing people for his family has become the most stressful part of his life. He seeks the help of a therapist and meets a woman in the waiting room that he connects with.
Terror Tract
Bob Carter
A real estate agent terrifies a couple with the grim fates of the previous owners of a house they're looking at.
TripFall
Tom Williams
A serial killer turns the life of a family on vacation into a nightmare.
Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel
Christian Therapist
In 1970s Atlanta, a diminutive gay man tries to find succor from the small-town religion that filled him with self-loathing. He meets Miss Make-Do, who teaches him the fun of reckless behavior and emotional management via getting higher than a kite. The film features a host of cameos from John Ritter, Marilu Henner, Kathy Kinney and others.
Lethal Vows
Dr. David Farris
This psychological thriller, based on a true story, is about a seemingly upstanding, caring husband and father (Ritter) who is accused of foul play by his ex-wife regarding the mysterious death of his subsequent wife. To prove her suspicions, his ex-wife (Helgenberger) becomes determined to reveal David's sinister side by any means possible.
It Came From the Sky
Donald Bridges
Jarvis and Pepper crash land their small plane on the roof of the Bridges family. Pepper finds herself having a positive effect on the households' autistic son Andy.
Man of Miracles
Joe Cass
In the sleepy town of Vine Creek, preacher and volunteer fireman Joe Cass wakes up to realize his family and community are at a breaking point. Joe decides to take control of his life and must prove his bravery when he is called to save a child trapped inside a burning building. Lost inside the inferno, a mysterious fireman helps them to safety and quickly disappears. As Joe waits for the mystery fireman to come forward, rumors circulate throughout Vine Creek that the apparition was an angel sent from above.
Dead Husbands
Dr. Carter Elston
Dr. Carter Elson is a man who finds a list of men's names among his wife Alex's possessions. When Carter discovers his own name at the bottom of the list, and that some of the other names are those of dead men, he confides in his friend/agent Betty. Time is ticking as they try and figure out what the list means before his name reaches the top. Alex, a small town girl who marries the up-and-coming doctor as an entry to the social-climbing world she always coveted, is frustrated when obstacles are placed in her path. She meets two other "unhappy wives," played by Sonja Smits and Donna Pescow, and discovers a way out that may be the answer to all of her prayers. The women conspire to 'shorten the list!'
Bride of Chucky
Chief Warren Kincaid
Chucky hooks up with another murderous doll, the bridal gown-clad Tiffany, for a Route 66 murder spree with their unwitting hosts.
Loss of Faith
Bruce Simon Barker
A crime novelist searches for a missing baby at his sister's behest and makes painful discoveries about himself along the way.
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died
Robert Forrest
A mental patient escapes from the looney bin in drag, robs a bank, and goes on the lam!
Shadow of Doubt
Steven Mayer
An attorney uncovers a political conspiracy in the brutal killing of a wealthy young woman.
Chance of a Lifetime
Tom Maguire
Irreverent freelance investigative reporter Tom Maguire hits rock bottom when bigot editor in chief Ivan refuses to print his pieces anymore and his bad back most be operated, but his health insurance just expired. Sympathetic editor Irene Dunbar, feeling guilty she didn't save his job, volunteers for a fake marriage so he can use her insurance. The 'happy couple' in now constantly beleaguered by her mother and an insurance inspector, while each has his own affairs, but the co-habitation also seems to generate meaningful affection.
Montana
Dr. Wexler
A seasoned enforcer is given the seemingly routine task of finding the Boss's runaway mistress, Kitty. However Kitty is involved in plans to overthrow the Boss and this routine task gets very complicated.
Hacks
Hank
Brian is a television writer-producer who has to script a 22-episode anthology, but lacks inspiration. He witnesses a strange romantic encounter between two figures on the balcony of hotel near his flat and decides to write scripts with his writer friends based on what he saw.
A Gun, a Car, a Blonde
Duncan the Bartender
In this homage to film noir, a wheelchair bound (Jim Metzler) paraplegic fantasizes about the new blonde (Andrea Thompson), who moves into the house across from him..
Nowhere
Moses Helper
In Los Angeles, a colorful assortment of bohemians try to make sense of their intersecting lives. The moody Dark Smith, his bisexual girlfriend, her lesbian lover and their shy gay friend plan on attending the wildest party of the year. But they'll only make it if they can survive the drug trips, suicides, trysts, mutilations and alien abductions that occur as one surreal day unfolds.
A Child's Wish
Ed Chandler
A family discovers their youngest daughter has cancer. But the real struggle has yet to start.
For Hope
Date #5 (uncredited)
The life and death of a young woman who suffered from scleroderma, and how she and her family coped.
Mercenary
Jonas Ambler
Jonas Ambler is a rich businessman whose wife is killed by kidnappers, so he decides to get even. He hires a mercenary to find and kill the kidnappers. There's only one catch --- he wants to go with them.
Sling Blade
Vaughan Cunningham
Karl Childers, a mentally disabled man, has been in the custody of the state mental hospital since the age of 12 for killing his mother and her lover. Although thoroughly institutionalized, he is deemed fit to be released into the outside world.
Harry Anderson: The Tricks of His Trade
Self
A one man CBS Special featuring classic close-up magic, card tricks and other sleight of hand.
Unforgivable
Paul Hegstrom
Paul Hegstrom is a so-called family man who puts his wife through domestic violence and his children through emotional torture. After leaving his family and almost killing his new girlfriend in one of his rages, Paul is ordered to either seek professional help through an innovative therapy program or go to jail.
Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen
Quote Reader
Explores sexuality and censorship over a hundred years of motion pictures.
The Colony
Rick Knowlton
A man and his family move from a crime-ridden inner city suburb to a self-proclaimed violence-free haven overseen by a godlike businessman. However, they soon discover that life in The Colony is much more sinister than it first appeared.
Gramps
Clarke MacGruder
After a long search, lawyer Clarke MacGruder finally locates his long lost father Jack. At first, everything seems fine with his new extended family, until the two set off on a hunting trip, where Jack starts showing a rather violent streak to his nature.
North
Ward Nelson
Eleven-year-old North has had it with his parents. They are always busy with their careers and don't give North the attention he needs, so he files a lawsuit against them. The judge rules that North should either find new parents or return to his own parents within two months. Thus North starts off on a journey around the world to find parents that really care about him.
The Only Way Out
Jeremy Carlisle's ex-wife Lynn is trying to stay away from her dangerously disturbed ex-boyfriend Tony, and Jeremy does all he can do protect his family.
Heartbeat
Bill Grant
A divorced father falls in love with a pregnant woman whose husband had abandoned her when he discovered she was expecting a child.
Stay Tuned
Roy Knable
Salesman Roy Knable spends all his free time watching television, to the exasperation of his wife, Helen. One day, TV salesman Spike convinces Roy to buy a satellite dish offering 666 channels. The new addition to Roy's home entertainment system sucks him and Helen into Hellvision, a realm run by Spike, who is an emissary of Satan. For 24 hours, the couple must survive devilish parodies of TV programs if they want to return to reality alive.
Noises Off...
Garry Lejeune / Roger Tramplemain
Hired to helm an Americanized take on a British play, director Lloyd Fellowes does his best to control an eccentric group of stage actors. With a star actress quickly passing her prime, a male lead with no confidence, and a bit actor that's rarely sober, chaos ensues in the lead up to a Broadway premiere.
The Making of High Noon
Self
Documentary about High Noon featuring Fred Zinnemann and Stanley Kramer.
The Martin & Lewis Story: The Last Great Comedy Team
Self
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis were the hottest act in America in the 1950's & the highest paid comedy team in show business. They starred in nightclubs, radio, television & movies. Martin & Lewis were a unique team. Both were talented entertainers & good friends on & off stage. Thru rare TV appearances, film clips, movie highlights & newsreels, follow their career from the beginning to their break-up.
The Real Story of O Christmas Tree
Piney (voice)
In this children's video a little girl asks a little pine tree to stay green through the winter to remind people of spring. The little tree must disobey King Winter to stay green. He gets thrown into King Winter's dungeon. Anneka sets off to save her friend with Piney, the pinecone gnome, and Little Acorn.
Problem Child 2
Ben Healy
Junior and his father, Ben, move from Cold River to Mortville. Junior becomes threatened by Ben's desire to date again and find a new mother for Junior, and sabotages each of his dates.
The Summer My Father Grew Up
Paul
A divorced and remarried doctor tries to reconnect with his eleven-year-old son whom he has always neglected.
The Dreamer of Oz
L. Frank Baum
The film is the biography of Frank Baum, the children's book author and creator of the fantasy world Oz.
Problem Child
Ben
Ben Healy and his social climbing wife Flo adopt fun-loving seven year old Junior. But they soon discover he's a little monster as he turns a camping trip, a birthday party and even a baseball game into comic nightmares.
My Brother's Wife
Barney
Barney is a guy who comes home for his father's funeral. Eleanor, his brother's wife who is Barney first love meets him and they go to the club where they first met. And Barney recalls how things kept them apart like his need to act out at his father. And his fear of commitment.
Skin Deep
Zach
Hard-drinking novelist Zach Hutton spirals out of control after his wife and mistress both leave him. Alone and crippled by a bad case of writer's block, Zach slips in and out of casual relationships and one-night stands, while his drinking becomes more and more severe. With the help of a bartender and his therapist, Zach confronts his demons — women and alcohol.
Tricks of the Trade
Donald Todsen (uncredited)
After her picture perfect husband is murdered in a prostitute's apartment, Beverly Hills homemaker Catherine is devastated. But she doesn't spend too long mourning, because she's soon on a mission to put her husband's killer behind bars. To do so, she forms an unlikely partnership with Marla, the Hollywood hooker who serviced the deceased. Under Marla's guidance, the pair navigate the seedier side of Los Angeles to put this mystery to rest.
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Dudley Goode
This film combines live action/original animation and library animation. Mickey steals a magic hat from a Sorcerer and is put under a spell by the angry magi so that no one will recognize him until he finds his own magic within. While Mickey is on his quest, network news teams around the country desperately try to find the famous, beloved mouse who has mysteriously disappeared. On his quest, Mickey goes into the "Cheers" bar, meets up with the characters from "Family Ties", and winds up on Disneyland's Main Street the night before his Birthday celebration is to take place. It is there that he finds he has all the magic inside him that he will ever need. The spell is broken and the Birthday bash commences as the whole World celebrates the beloved Mickey Mouse.
Real Men
Bob Wilson
A womanizing CIA agent and an insecure insurance agent are paired together to make sure a deal goes through with aliens for the future of mankind.
The Last Fling
Phillip Reed
A young woman decides to have one more romantic escapade before marrying her dull fiancé.
A Smoky Mountain Christmas
Judge Harold Benton (uncredited)
A country-western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman — and a witch.
Unnatural Causes
Frank Coleman
Frank Coleman is a Vietnam veteran dying from cancer brought on by exposure to the defoliant chemical Agent Orange which he turns to Maude DeVictor, a Veterans Administration benefits counselor who teams up with Coleman to fight a lopsided batted against the bureaucratic system for its cover up of the possible dangers of Agent Orange.
Letting Go
Alex
Letting Go stars John Ritter as a widower and Sharon Gless as a lonely unmarried woman. They meet during a group-therapy session. Romance is inevitable, but the road to true happiness is pockmarked by a series of comic complications. Advertised as a straight romantic drama, Letting Go is actually more akin to the screwball comedies of the 1930s, with a strong satirical bent regarding "behavior modification" theories. The made-for-TV film debuted May 11, 1985.
All Star Party for Lucille Ball
Self
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday
Himself
Donald is shown in both animated and costumed form, interacting with emcee Dick Van Dyke and other cast members. The film not only shows Donald's life, but also depicts an extensive international tour that Donald went on in 1984 as well as showing various celebrities of the day wishing Donald happy birthday. The tour culminates in a parade in Donald's honor at Disneyland.
Love Thy Neighbor
Danny Loeb
When Danny’s wife and Linda’s husband run away together, the two neighbors form an unlikely bond.
Strong Kids, Safe Kids
Himself
Strong Kids, Safe Kids was put together because so many of us are concerned about the horrible potential dangers our kids face every day. Sexual molestation and abduction are an unfortunate part of our times. And as loving parents, it's up to us to teach our kids to stay safe. It's like teaching them to look both ways before crossing the street... only it's a whole lot trickier. That's where Strong Kids, Safe Kids comes in. This film brings all of the problems - and questions - out in the open. It talks to you and your kids one-on-one. The material is frank and to the point. But presented so entertainingly with music and humor that it's a delight for the whole family to watch together. Again and again.
Sunset Limousine
Alan O'Black
Alan O'Black is a comic who wants to hit it big. But his endless attempts at stardom have worn down his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Julie. Thinking she'll give him another chance if he gets a real job, Alan gets a gig as a limo driver, which promptly lands him in a slew of trouble when he meets and gets involved in the hijinks of a crooked entrepreneur, Bradley Coleman.
In Love with an Older Woman
Robert
A 29-year-old lawyer falls for a 43-year-old woman.
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show
Himself
Taped in Toronto between August 9-24, 1982, Miss Piggy hosts her own variety show, with special guests John Ritter, George Hamilton and Tony Clifton (Andy Kaufman). Under the direction of Kermit the Frog, the Muppets work in the control room and, amidst chaos, manage to keep the show on the air. Throughout the show, a romantic triangle develops among Piggy, Ritter (who is smitten with the pig) and Hamilton (who is deeply uncomfortable with the star's romantic inclinations).
The Flight of Dragons
Peter Dickinson
The realm of magic is being threatened by the realm of logic, so Carolinus, the green wizard decides to shield it for all time. Ommadon, the evil red wizard, stands in his way. Carolinus then calls for a quest that is to be led by a man named Peter Dickinson, who is the first man of both the realms of science and magic. It is Peter's job to defeat Ommadon.
Pray TV
Tom McPherson
A newly ordained minister accepts a summer job with a dynamic TV evangelist only to find deep conflicts between the latter's conventional activities servicing his community's spiritual needs and his power wielded as a TV celebrity.
They All Laughed
Charles Rutledge
New York's Odyssey Detective Agency is hired by two different clients to follow two women suspected of infidelity. Ladies' man John Russo trails Angela Niotes, the elegant wife of a wealthy Italian industrialist, while Charles Rutledge and Arthur Brodsky follow Dolores Martin, the beautiful young wife of a jealous husband. Their respective cases are complicated when John falls for Angela, and Charles falls for Dolores.
Wholly Moses
Satan (The Devil)
Harvey and Zoey, two tourists in Israel, discover an ancient scroll about Herschel, the man who was almost Moses. Herschel receives the command from God to free his people from slavery, but Moses keeps getting all the credit.
John Ritter: Being of Sound Mind and Body
Writer
John Ritter shows off his comedic talent with a collection of comedy sketches.
John Ritter: Being of Sound Mind and Body
Self / Various
John Ritter shows off his comedic talent with a collection of comedy sketches.
The Comeback Kid
Bubba Newman
A down and out former minor league ballplayer finds romance and a renewed zest for life when he takes a job coaching a group of underprivileged kids.
Hero at Large
Steve Nichols
An idealistic but struggling actor finds his life unexpectedly complicated when he stops a robbery while wearing the costume of Captain Avenger, a superhero character of a film he is hired to to promote. He decides to dabble at being a superhero only to find that it is more difficult and dangerous than he ever imagined.
Americathon
President Chet Roosevelt
In a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.
Robin Williams: Off the Wall
Himself
Robin Williams stand up special.
Leave Yesterday Behind
Paul Stallings
A happy-go-lucky veterinary student, paralyzed for life in a college polo meet, finds love with a young woman who leaves her fiancée to help him overcome his handicap.
Ringo
Marty Flesh
Ringo, stressed out by fame, trades places with a schmuck who looks exactly like him. Then the problems start!
The Goldie Hawn Special
Self
Goldie Hawn’s second TV special was in 1978, “The Goldie Hawn Special” and it was a sort of comeback for her, after she had been out of the spotlight for over two years. On the TV special she performed show tunes and comedy bits alongside comic legend George Burns, teen idol Shaun Cassidy, television star John Ritter and even the Harlem Globetrotters joined her on the show. The special later went on to be nominated for a primetime Emmy Award.
How to Survive the '70s and Maybe Even Bump Into Happiness
Self
A 1978 special starring Mary Tyler Moore, Harvey Korman, and John Ritter. Dick Van Dyke guest stars.
Nickelodeon
Franklin Frank
In the silent film era, attorney Leo Harrigan and gunslinger Buck Greenway are hired to stop an illegal film production. However, they soon team up with the filmmakers and become important players in the show business industry. Leo learns he has a talent for directing, and Buck's cowboy persona quickly earns him leading-man status — but both men fall for beautiful starlet Kathleen Cooke, leading to a heated personal rivalry.
The Night That Panicked America
Walter Wingate
A dramatization of the Oct. 30, 1938 mass panic that Orson Welles' radio play, "The War of the Worlds" accidentally provoked.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue
Elevator Passenger (uncredited)
Mel Edison has just lost his job after many years and now has to cope with being unemployed at middle age during an intense NYC heat wave.
The Stone Killer
Hart
A Los Angeles detective is sent to New York where he must solve a case involving an old Sicilian Mafia family feud.
The Lie
Bauer
An Ingmar Bergman script. Produced for Swedish Television as "Reservatet" (1970) and for BBC as "The Lie" (1971). An American couple is trapped in their marriage and way of life. Locked up in their bourgeois inferno.
The Other
Rider
A series of gruesome accidents plague a small American farming community in the summer of 1935, encircling two identical twin brothers and their family.
Evil Roy Slade
Priest (uncredited)
Orphaned and left in the desert as an infant, Evil Roy Slade (John Astin) grew up alone—save for his teddy bear—and mean. As an adult, he is notorious for being the "meanest villain in the West"—so he's thrown for quite a loop when he falls for sweet schoolteacher Betsy Potter (Pamela Austin). There's also Nelson L. Stool (Mickey Rooney), a railroad tycoon, who, along with his dimwitted nephew Clifford (Henry Gibson), is trying to get revenge on Evil Roy Slade for robbing him.
Scandalous John
Wendell
A crotchety old ranch owner fights to be able to live his life the way he wants to, and not the way other people--and the law--tell him he has to.
The Barefoot Executive
Roger
In the great Disney tradition of wild family fun, a young Kurt Russell stars as Steven Post - an ambitious mailroom clerk at a second-rate TV network. With his eye on the boardroom, and getting nowhere with the studio's top dog, he makes a career-changing discovery. His girlfriend's lovable pet chimp can pick a hit show every time! His secret for success turns into a madcap monkey business when he makes vice president and jealous rivals want in on the act. Ride along with narrow escapes and a classic cast featuring Joe Flynn and Harry Morgan in a comedic climb up the corporate ladder that will leave you howling for more!