John Ritter

John Ritter married actress Nancy Morgan in 1977. Together they had three children, Jason, Carly, and Tyler. The couple divorced in 1996.

He married actress Amy Yasbeck in 1999. Together, they have a daughter named Stella.

On September 11, 2003 he complained of chest pains while rehearsing for ‘8 Simple Rules’. Doctors misdiagnosed and treated him for a heart attack and his condition worsened. They then diagnosed him with an aortic dissection. He died during the surgery.

John Ritter was born on September 17, 1948, in Burbank, California, to Tex Ritter and Dorothy Fay. Both his parents were actors, so he grew up amidst showbiz.

He received his education from Hollywood High School and was a student body president at the school. Later, he enrolled at the University of Southern California, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Architecture. Later on, he changed his major to theatre arts and graduated in 1971.

He first appeared on TV as a contestant on ‘The Dating Game’ (1965). Soon after, he joined an acting class. While still in college (1968 – 1969), he travelled to Holland, Scotland, England and Germany to act in plays.

After graduation, he debuted on TV as a campus rebel in ‘Dan August’ (1970). His debut film was ‘The Barefoot Executive’ (1971).

He appeared as Reverend Matthew Fordwick in 18 episodes of ‘The Waltons’ (October 1972 - December 1976). In between, he also made guest appearances on few television series.

In 1976, he started acting in ABC sitcom ‘Three's Company’ which ran for 174 episodes (1977–1984); in the role of ‘Jack Tripper’ he became immensely popular.

In between ‘Three’s Company’, he also acted in television movie ‘Ringo’ (1978), appeared in movies such as ‘Americathon’ (1979), ‘Hero at Large’ (1980), and ‘They All Laughed’ (1981), and lent his voice in ‘Flight of Dragons’ (1982).

Next, he acted in ‘Hooperman’ (1987–1989) as Detective Harry. The role won him nominations for both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. He also won a People's Choice Award for the role.

In sitcom ‘Three's Company’ he played the character of ‘Jack Tripper’, a chef who shares a room with two beautiful ladies and pretends to be gay to pacify the conservative landlords.

As ‘Detective Harry Hooperman’ in ‘Hooperman’ (1987), he owns an apartment building and employs ‘Susan Smith’ to manage it. A relationship evolves and the protagonist must balance love, work, and the pranks of the dog, Bijoux.