birth name	Courteney Bass Cox
birth date	June 15, 1964
birth place	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
other names	Courteney Cox Arquette
occupation	Actress
years active	1984–present
spouse	(separated)
children	1
partner	Michael Keaton (1989–1995) }}

Courteney Bass Cox (born June 15, 1964) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', Gale Weathers in the horror series ''Scream'', and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom ''Cougar Town'', for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination. Cox has also starred in ''Dirt'' produced by Coquette Productions, a production company created by herself and husband at the time David Arquette.

Early life

Courteney Cox was raised in the Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Mountain Brook, the daughter of businessman Richard Lewis Cox (January 28, 1931 – September 3, 2001) and his wife Courteney (née Bass, later Copeland). She has two older sisters, Virginia and Dottie, and an older brother, Richard, Jr. Her parents divorced in 1974 and her mother then married businessman Hunter Copeland (uncle to music promoter and business manager Ian Copeland). After graduating from Mountain Brook High School, Cox left for Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C., but did not complete her architecture course, opting instead to pursue a career in modeling and acting.

Career

Early career

Cox appeared in the 1984 music video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" as a female pulled onstage to dance with Springsteen. Cox was the first person to use the word "period" on U.S. television to refer to menstruation in a 1985 advertising campaign for Tampax brand tampons. Her early television work includes a starring role in the short-lived television series ''Misfits of Science'' (1985), and later a recurring role (1987–89) on the TV series ''Family Ties'' as Lauren Miller, the girlfriend of Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox). Her early film roles include ''Masters of the Universe'' (1987) and ''Cocoon: The Return'' (1988). She had a supporting role as Jewel, the hard-as-nails assistant to James Belushi's character, in the 1990 fantasy film ''Mr. Destiny''. In 1994, shortly before the debut of the sitcom, ''Friends,'' Cox appeared with Jim Carrey in the film ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' and on ''Seinfeld'' in "The Wife" episode as Jerry's girlfriend named Meryl. In 1995, she was cast in Toad the Wet Sprocket's music video "Good Intentions". The song is also on the ''Friends'' Soundtrack.

''Friends''

Later in 1994 Cox was asked to audition for the part of Rachel Green on a new sitcom, ''Friends''; she was cast as Monica Geller instead. At first the most famous cast member of the new show, Cox joined fellow castmates Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing) and David Schwimmer (Ross Geller) for what would become her most famous role, lasting for 10 seasons until 2004. According to the Guinness Book of World Records (2005), Cox (along with her female costars) became the highest paid TV actress of all time with her $1 million-per-episode paycheck for the final two seasons of Friends.

Between seasons five and six, Cox married David Arquette, and changed her name to Courteney Cox Arquette. An in-joke reference to this is made in the beginning credits of the episode "The One After Vegas", where the rest of the cast and executive producers have "Arquette" added to their names. The dedication "For Courteney and David, who did get married" – a reference to Monica and Chandler's decision not to marry in the episode – appears during the fade out to the tag scene.

Film career

During her time on ''Friends'', Cox appeared in the high-profile Hollywood films ''Scream'' (1996), ''Scream 2'' (1997), and ''Scream 3'' (2000), as the determined and driven reporter Gale Weathers. She met her husband, David Arquette, who played her on-screen love interest Dwight "Dewey" Riley, while filming the first ''Scream'' film. Both Cox and Arquette reprised their respective roles from the ''Scream'' trilogy in 2011's ''Scream 4''. The movie was released in theaters April 15, 2011.

Her other films include ''The Runner'', ''3000 Miles to Graceland'' and ''The Shrink Is In''. In late 2003, Cox and Arquette produced one season of the reality television series ''Mix It Up.'' The lifestyle show, which aired on the We cable channel, struggled with low ratings and was not renewed for a second season.

Later work

After her ''Friends'' role, Cox was producer Marc Cherry's first choice to be offered a starring role as Susan Mayer on ''Desperate Housewives''. However, Cox was unavailable due to her pregnancy and the role went to Teri Hatcher. A couple of years later, Cox signed a deal with ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television) to star in her own series. After ''Friends'', Cox starred in the independent film ''November'' (2005) which had a limited theatrical release; costarred with Tim Allen in the critically derided ''Zoom''; and cameoed in the big budget remake of ''The Longest Yard'' as the girlfriend of Adam Sandler's character. She supplied her voice for the animated film ''Barnyard''. A ''Friends'' reunion film was rumored to be in production; following the success of ''Sex and the City: The Movie'', but this has been denied by Warner Bros. and others.

In 2007, Cox starred as Lucy Spiller, a cynical tabloid editor, in ''Dirt'', a television drama for FX. Cox and her husband David Arquette were the executive producers of the series. According to Cox, the series was canceled after the second season in 2008. In July 2008, ''Entertainment Weekly'' announced that Cox had signed on to star in a three-episode arc for the television series ''Scrubs''. In her third episode, she told Dr. Cox that Cox was "a ridiculous name", in reference to her own.

In 2009, Cox began her roles as the star of the single-camera comedy series on ABC called ''Cougar Town'', playing a newly single 40-year-old mother on the hunt for new experiences. The show's third season was to premiere in November 2011 but was moved to February 14, 2012.

Personal life

Cox's significant previous boyfriends include her step-cousin, the rock promoter Ian Copeland and a long-term relationship with actor Michael Keaton from 1989 to 1995. Cox also dated singer Adam Duritz of Counting Crows and appeared in their music video for the song "A Long December" in 1997.

Cox married actor David Arquette on June 12, 1999. On June 13, 2004, she gave birth to a daughter, Coco Riley Arquette. Jennifer Aniston is Coco's godmother. On October 11, 2010, it was announced that Cox and Arquette had separated, though they still maintain a close friendship and business relationship.

Filmography

+Film	! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
1987	''Down Twisted''	Tarah
1987		Julia "Julie" Winston
1988	''Cocoon: The Return''	Sara
1990	''Mr. Destiny''	Jewel Jagger
1991		Lisa Roberts
1992		Kathleen
1992	''''	C "Carrie" Davenport
1994	''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective''	Melissa Robinson
1996		Gale Weathers
1997	''Commandments''	Rachel Luce
1997	''Scream 2''	Gale Weathers
1999	''''	Karina
1999	''Alien Love Triangle''	Alice Connor	Short film
2000	''Scream 3''	Gale Weathers
2001	''3000 Miles to Graceland''	Cybil Waingrow
2001	''''	Samantha Crumb
2001		Lily "Lillian"
2004		Sophie Jacobs
2005	''''	Lena	Uncredited role
2006		Daisy the Cow	Voice role
2006
2006	''''	Cynthia	Also film producer
2008	''''	Cece	Short film
2008		Wendy
2011	''Scream 4''	Gale Weathers Riley

+Television	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1984	''As the World Turns''	Bunny
1985	''Code Name: Foxfire''	Flight Attendant	Uncredited role NBC TV movie
1985–1986	''Misfits of Science''	Gloria Dinallo	16 episodes
1986	''''		Episode: Dare Devil/Picture Me As a Spy/Sleeper
1986	''Sylvan in Paradise''	Lucy Apple	NBC TV pilot
1986	''Murder, She Wrote''	Carol Bannister	Episode: Death Stalks the Big Top
1987	''If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium''	Hana Wyshocki	NBC TV movie
1987–1989	''Family Ties''	Lauren Miller	21 episodes
1988		Nora Bundy	NBC TV movie
1989	''Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer''	Jacquie Kimberly	TV movie
1989	''Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again''	Marie-Frederique "Freddy" de Lancel	CBS miniseries
1990	''Curiosity Kills''	Gwen	NBC TV movie
1991	''Morton & Hayes''	Princess Lucy "Lucille"	Episode: Oafs Overboard
1992	''Battling for Baby''	Katherine	CBS TV movie
1992		Alisha	Episode: Come and Knock on Our Door
1993	''''	Gabriella Easden
1994	''Seinfeld''	Meryl	Episode: The Wife
1994–2004	''Friends''	Monica Geller	236 episodes
1995	''Sketch Artist II: Hands that See''	Emmy
1995	''Saturday Night Live''	Host
1999	''Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child''	Emerald Salt Pork	Voice roleEpisode: The Three Little Pigs
2007–2008		Lucille "Lucy" Spiller	20 episodes
2009		Taylor Maddox	3 episodes
2009	Web Therapy	Serena Duvall	3 episodes
2009–present	''Cougar Town''	Jules Cobb	Main Role
2011		Patient

Awards and nominations

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Title of work ! Result |- |1995 |Golden Apple Award |Female Discovery of the Year | | |- | 1995 |People's Choice Award |Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series |Friends | |- |1996 |Screen Actors Guild Awards |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- |1997 |Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards |Favorite Television Actress |Friends | |- |1998 |Blockbuster Entertainment Award |Favorite Actress – Horror |Scream 2 | |- | 1998 |Saturn Award |Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture |Scream 2 | |- |1999 |American Comedy Award |Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series |Friends | |- | 1999 |Screen Actors Guild Awards |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- | 2000 |Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards |Favorite Television Friends |Friends | |- | 2000 |Screen Actors Guild Award |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- | 2000 |Teen Choice Award |Film – Choice Chemistry |Scream 3 | |- | 2000 |TV Guide Awards |Editor's Choice |Friends | |- | 2001 |Screen Actors Guild Award |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- | 2001 |Blockbuster Entertainment Award |Favorite Actress – Horror |Scream 3 | |- | 2002 |Teen Choice Awards |Choice TV Actress, Comedy |Friends | |- | 2002 |Screen Actors Guild Award |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- | 2003 |Teen Choice Awards |Choice TV Actress, Comedy |Friends | |- | 2003 |Screen Actors Guild Award |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- |2004 |Screen Actors Guild Award |Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |Friends | |- |2005 |Teen Choice Awards |Choice Movie Hissy Fit |The Longest Yard | |- |2006 |TV Land Award |Most Wonderful Wedding - with Matthew Perry |Friends | |- |2007 |TV Land Award |Break Up That Was So Bad It Was Good |Family Ties | |- |2009 |Golden Globe Awards |Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical |Cougar Town | |- |2009 |People's Choice Awards |Favorite New Comedy Series |Cougar Town | |- | 2010 |Streamy Award |Best Guest Star In A Web Series |Web Therapy | |- | 2010 |People's Choice Awards |Favourite TV Comedy Actress |Cougar Town | |- | 2010 |Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Awards |US TV Actress |Cougar Town | |- | 2010 |TV Guide Awards |Courteney Cox To Be Honored By Women In Film Foundation | | |- | 2010 |Golden Derby TV Awards |Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series |Cougar Town | |- | 2010 |People's Choice Awards |Favourite TV Comedy Actress |Cougar Town | |- | 2010 |Women's Image Network Award |Actress Comedy Series |Cougar Town | |- | 2010 | Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards | Lucy Award | | Recipient |- | 2011 |People's Choice Awards |Favorite Television Comedy Actress |Cougar Town | |}

References

External links

Collection of interviews (1995–1999)

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Alabama Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:American voice actors Category:American karateka Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Arquette family

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name	Gene Siskel
birthname	Eugene Kal Siskel
birth date	January 26, 1946
birth place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
death date	February 20, 1999
death place	Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
death cause	Complications of Surgery
resting place	Westlawn Cemetery
home town	Chicago, Illinois
residence	Chicago, Illinois
education	Culver Academies
alma mater	Yale University
years active	1969–1999
occupation	Television journalist, film critic
religion	Jewish
spouse	Marlene Iglitzen (1980–1999)
children	KateCallieWill
credits	''Opening Soon at a Theater Near You'' (1975–1977)''Sneak Previews'' (1977–1982)''At the Movies'' (1982–1986)''Siskel & Ebert'' (1986–1999)''CBS This Morning'' correspondent (1987–1992)''Good Morning America'' correspondent (1996–1999)
influenced	}}

Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel (January 26, 1946February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show ''Siskel & Ebert At the Movies'' from 1975 until his death.

Early life and career

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Siskel was raised by his aunt and uncle after both his parents died when he was ten years old. He attended Culver Academies, graduated in Philosophy at Yale University in 1967, where he studied writing under Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey, who helped him land a job at the ''Chicago Tribune'' in 1969. In 1975, Siskel teamed up with Roger Ebert, film reviewer for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', to host a show on the local Chicago PBS station WTTW which eventually became ''Sneak Previews''. Their "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" system soon became an easily recognizable trademark, popular enough to be parodied on comedy shows such as ''In Living Color'', cartoon strips like ''Calvin and Hobbes'' (April, 1988) and in movies such as ''Hollywood Shuffle'' and ''Godzilla''. ''Sneak Previews'' gained a country-wide audience in 1978 when it was carried on PBS.

Siskel and Ebert left WTTW and PBS in 1982 for syndication. Their new show, ''At the Movies'', was produced and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting, the parent company that owned the ''Chicago Tribune'' and WGN-TV. ''Sneak Previews'' continued on PBS for 14 more years with other hosts. In 1986, Siskel and Ebert left Tribune Broadcasting to have their show produced by the syndication arm of The Walt Disney Company. The new incarnation of the show was originally titled ''Siskel & Ebert & the Movies'', but later shortened to ''Siskel & Ebert''. ''At the Movies'' also continued a few more years with other hosts.

A very early appearance of Siskel, taken from ''Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You'', predecessor to ''Sneak Previews'', is included in ''For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism''. In this 2009 documentary film he is seen debating with Ebert over the merits of the film version of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''.

Normally, Siskel and Roger Ebert would refuse to guest star in movies or televisual series (except for talk shows) as they felt it would undermine their responsibility to the public. However, they both "could not resist" appearing on an episode of the animated television series ''The Critic'', the title character of which was a television film critic. In the episode, Siskel and Ebert split and each wants Jay Sherman, the titular critic, as his new partner. They also once appeared in an episode of ''Sesame Street''. Siskel also appeared as himself on an episode of ''The Larry Sanders Show''.

He was a member of the Army Reserve in the 1960s.

Death

In 1998, Siskel underwent surgery for a cancerous brain tumor. He announced on Wednesday, February 3, 1999 that he was taking a leave of absence but that he expected to be back by the fall, writing "I'm in a hurry to get well because I don't want Roger to get more screen time than me".

On Saturday, February 20, 1999, Siskel died from complications of another surgery at the age of 53. After Siskel's death, the producers of ''Siskel & Ebert'' hired other film critics and began using them on a rotating basis as an audition for a permanent successor. Ultimately, Ebert's ''Chicago Sun-Times'' colleague Richard Roeper was hired and the show was renamed ''Ebert & Roeper at the Movies''. The last film Siskel reviewed on television with co-host Ebert was ''The Theory of Flight'' on Saturday, January 23, 1999. The final film that he reviewed in print was the Sarah Michelle Gellar romantic comedy ''Simply Irresistible''. He gave it a thumbs-down.

Siskel was survived by his wife, Marlene, and their children, Kate, Callie, and Will and is interred at Westlawn Cemetery.

Legacy

At the 1999 Academy Awards ceremony, after its In Memoriam montage of deceased stars and film contributors (which did not include Siskel as he was not an Academy member), host Whoopi Goldberg gave a brief, impromptu tribute to Siskel which included the traditional "thumbs-up" gesture, to great audience applause.

The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which presents world-class independent, international and classic cinema, was renamed The Gene Siskel Film Center in honor of him in 2000.

When asked by a journalist to list his three favorite things about Chicago, Siskel named Michael Jordan, Mayor Daley, and the Film Center. Siskel was a member of the Film Center's Advisory Committee and a strong supporter of the Film Center mission. He wrote hundreds of articles applauding the Film Center's distinctive programming and he lent the power of his position as a well-known film critic to urge public funding and audience support. His favorite movies of all time were ''Saturday Night Fever'' (he even bought the famous white disco suit from it at a charity auction) and ''Dr. Strangelove''. Another favorite from childhood was ''Dumbo'', which he often mentioned as the first movie that made a mark on him.

He only walked out on three films during his professional career: the 1971 comedy ''The Million Dollar Duck'' starring Dean Jones; the 1980 horror film ''Maniac''; and the 1996 Penelope Spheeris film ''Black Sheep''. Only once during his long association with Ebert did Siskel ever change his vote on a movie. The film ''Broken Arrow'' had initially been given a "thumbs up," but after hearing Ebert's criticism, Siskel changed his mind to "thumbs down" to make it unanimous.

Siskel compiled "best of the year" movie lists from 1969 to 1998, which have helped to provide an overview of his critical preferences. His top choices were:

1969: ''Z''

1970: ''My Night at Maud's''

1971: ''Claire's Knee''

1972: ''The Godfather''

1973: ''The Emigrants''

1974: ''Day for Night''

1975: ''Nashville''

1976: ''All the President's Men''

1977: ''Annie Hall''

1978: ''Straight Time''

1979: ''Hair''

1980: ''Raging Bull''

1981: ''Ragtime''

1982: ''Moonlighting''

1983: ''The Right Stuff''

1984: ''Once Upon a Time in America''

1985: ''Shoah''

1986: ''Hannah and Her Sisters''

1987: ''The Last Emperor''

1988: ''The Last Temptation of Christ''

1989: ''Do the Right Thing''

1990: ''Goodfellas''

1991: ''Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse''

1992: ''One False Move''

1993: ''Schindler's List''

1994: ''Hoop Dreams''

1995: ''Crumb''

1996: ''Fargo''

1997: ''The Ice Storm''

1998: ''Babe: Pig in the City''

Siskel chose ''Kagemusha'' as his fifth-best film of 1980; at decade's end, his opinion was that it was the tenth-best film of the decade of the 1980s. From 1969 until his death in early 1999, Siskel and Ebert were in agreement on nine top selections: ''Z'', ''The Godfather'', ''Nashville'', ''The Right Stuff'', ''Do the Right Thing'', ''GoodFellas'', ''Schindler's List'', ''Hoop Dreams'', and ''Fargo''. There would have been a tenth, except that Ebert declined to rank the documentary ''Shoah'' as 1985's best film because he felt it was inappropriate to compare it to the rest of the year's candidates. Seven times, Siskel's #1 choice did not appear on Ebert's top ten list at all: ''Straight Time'', ''Ragtime'', ''Once Upon a Time in America'', ''The Last Emperor'', ''The Last Temptation of Christ'', ''Hearts of Darkness'', and ''The Ice Storm''. Six times, Ebert's top selection did not appear on Siskel's; these films were ''3 Women'', ''An Unmarried Woman'', ''Apocalypse Now'', ''Sophie's Choice'', ''Mississippi Burning'', and ''Dark City''.

Siskel was also a die-hard Chicago sports fan, especially of the NBA's Bulls, and would cover locker-room celebrations for WBBM-TV news broadcasts following Bulls championships in the 1990s.

Ebert once said of his relationship with Gene Siskel: :"Gene Siskel and I were like tuning forks. Strike one, and the other would pick up the same frequency. When we were in a group together, we were always intensely aware of one another. Sometimes this took the form of camaraderie, sometimes shared opinions, sometimes hostility."

When both men appeared together on ''The Tonight Show'', Johnny Carson conducted a "together and separately" interview with them, which at one point had each man wear Walkman-style headphones, playing loud music, while the other commented on his partner. When asked what he thought was the biggest difference between himself and Ebert, Siskel unhesitatingly replied: "I'm a better reviewer than he is." But a few moments later, he said that anyone who read a Roger Ebert review would read "an extremely well written review."

See also

List of notable brain tumor patients

References

External links

Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, named in memoriam

At the Movies site: includes archive of Siskel & Ebert television programs

FBI file on Gene Siskel

Gene Siskel: The Balcony is Closed Article on Legacy.com

Gene Siskel's Top Ten List By Year (1969–1998)

Siskel & Ebert's classic shows (1975–1999)

Category:1946 births Category:1999 deaths Category:American film critics Category:American television personalities Category:Cancer deaths in Illinois Category:Chicago Tribune people Category:Deaths from brain cancer Category:Jewish American writers Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Yale University alumni Category:United States Army soldiers

de:Gene Siskel fr:Gene Siskel nl:Gene Siskel pt:Gene Siskel

birth date	September 17, 1948
death date
birth place	Burbank, California,United States
death place	Burbank, California,United States
Death cause	Aortic dissection
nationality	American
education	Hollywood High School
Alma mater	University of Southern California
birth name	}}

| other_names = Johnny Ritter | occupation = Actor, comedian, voice-over artist | website = | years_active = 1968–2003 | spouse = Nancy Morgan (1977–1996) Amy Yasbeck (1999–2003) (his death) }} Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms ''Three's Company'' and ''8 Simple Rules'', respectively. He is also known for being the voice of the title character Clifford in the PBS television series ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''. Don Knotts called him the "Greatest physical comedian on the planet".

Ritter's final films—the screwball dark comedy ''Bad Santa'' and the two children's animated films ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' and ''Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up''—were all dedicated in his memory.

Early life

John Ritter was born in Burbank, California, the son of Dorothy Fay (née Southworth), an actress, and singing cowboy/matinee-star Tex Ritter. He attended Hollywood High School, where he was student body president. He went on to the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity, and majored in psychology and minored in architecture. In 1966 at the age of 18, Ritter was a contestant on ''The Dating Game''.

While still in college, Ritter traveled to England, Scotland, Holland and Germany to perform in plays. After his 1970 graduation from USC, his first TV acting experience was a campus revolutionary in the TV series, ''Dan August'', starring Burt Reynolds and Norman Fell. In 1971, Ritter landed his first movie role in ''The Barefoot Executive''.

Early television career

John did many guest appearances on early TV series, like ''Hawaii Five-O'', ''M*A*S*H'' (TV series) & others.

''The Waltons''

John Ritter was on ''The Waltons'' from October 26, 1972, to December 23, 1976, as Reverend Matthew Fordwick. Ritter appeared on a total of 18 episodes. As he was not a weekly cast member, he had the time to pursue other roles, which he did until December 1976, when he left for a permanent role on ''Three’s Company''.

''Three’s Company''

Ritter headlined several stage performances before he was made a star by appearing in the hit sitcom ''Three's Company'' (the Americanized version of the 1970s British Thames Television series ''Man About the House'') in 1977, playing a single ladies' man and culinary student, Jack Tripper, who lives with two female roommates. The females originally were Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). While in later years the character of Janet remained, Somers was fired and other characters replaced her tenancy, including Chrissy's cousin, Cindy (Jenilee Harrison), and unrelated roommate Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes). Jack pretended to be gay to keep the landlords appeased over their living arrangements. The show spent several seasons near the top of the TV ratings in the U.S. before ending in 1984. Ritter went on for one more year on the spin-off ''Three's a Crowd''. The original series has been seen continuously in reruns and is also available on DVD. During the run of the show, he appeared in the feature films ''Hero at Large'', ''Americathon'', and ''They All Laughed''. In 1978, he played Ringo Starr's manager on the television special ''Ringo'', and in 1982, played the voice of Peter Dickinson in ''Flight of Dragons''.

''Hooperman''

Hooperman was Ritter's next TV series, airing from 1987 to 1989. In the show he played Detective Harry Hooperman who inherits a run down apartment building in need of help. He hires Susan Smith (Debrah Farentino). A relationship follows and Hooperman must juggle work, love, plus the antics of Bijoux the dog. John was nominated for both an ''Emmy'' and a Golden Globe for his work on Hooperman in 1988. He won a People's Choice Award for this role.

''Hearts Afire''

In 1992-95 Ritter returned to TV for 3 seasons as John Hartman, aide to the Senator in "Hearts Afire". This series starred Markie Post (of ''The Fall Guy'' and ''Night Court'' fame) as Georgie Anne Lahti and Billy Bob Thorton as Billy Bob Davis.

Film career

After his time on TV he appeared in a number of movies, most notably ''Problem Child'' and its first sequel. He appeared in the Oscar-winning ''Sling Blade'' (playing a gay, kindhearted discount store manager) and ''Noises Off'' and played the lead role in Blake Edwards' 1989 film ''Skin Deep''.

He starred in many made-for-TV movies, including ''Gramps'' (1995), co-starring with Andy Griffith, Rob Hedden's The Colony (1995) with Hal Linden, Stephen King's ''It'', ''Danielle Steel's Heartbeat'' with Polly Draper, and ''It Came From the Sky'' in 1999 with Yasmine Bleeth, and made guest appearances on TV shows, such as ''Ally McBeal,'' ''Scrubs,'' ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' as well as an episode of Law and Order SVU where The case involves the beating of a seven-months-pregnant woman, whose unborn child has been torn from her body via a primitive cesarean section. Among the many witnesses questioned is the woman's husband, a psychiatrist with several devastating secrets and knows more about his wife's beating than he's willing to admit. Brian Rathjen. He also provided the voice of the title character in the PBS animated children's show ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', a role for which he received two Emmy nominations. He starred alongside kickboxing actor Olivier Gruner for the buddy cop film ''Mercenary''.

Stage work

He played Claude Pichon in ''The Dinner Party'' (2000) at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway, which was written by Neil Simon. It ran for three hundred and sixty-four performances. Ritter won the Theatre World Award in 2001 for his performance in that work.

Later career

''8 Simple Rules''

In 2002, he made a TV comeback with the ABC family sitcom ''8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'' (later retitled ''8 Simple Rules'' following his death). Other titles considered were "8 Simple Rules for Dating" and, simply, "8".)

In 2003, John Ritter suddenly fell ill and died while rehearsing for the second season of "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."

Final works

Ritter's final live action film appearance was as the store manager in ''Bad Santa'' (2003), starring personal friend Billy Bob Thornton and Bernie Mac. Ritter's last film ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'' was as his title character Clifford the Big Red Dog and released seven months after his death. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6631 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Personal life

Ritter was married to actress Nancy Morgan from 1977 until they divorced in 1996; he married actress Amy Yasbeck in 1999. Yasbeck had variously played his wife and love interest in the first two ''Problem Child'' movies. Yasbeck also played Ritter's wife in two sitcom appearances. In 1991, both were guest stars on ''The Cosby Show'', where Yasbeck played the in-labor wife of Ritter's basketball coach character. In 1996, Ritter guest starred on Yasbeck's sitcom, ''Wings'', as the estranged husband of Yasbeck's character, Casey.

Ritter and Morgan had three children: Carly, Tyler, and Jason; he and Yasbeck had one daughter, Stella, born in 1998, a year before they were married.

Death

On September 11, 2003, Ritter felt ill while rehearsing scenes for the second season of ''8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter''. He was taken across the street to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he died later that evening, at approximately 10:45 pm PST from an aortic dissection caused by a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect. His father Tex Ritter had died of a heart attack almost 30 years earlier. Ritter was interred at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His mother died less than two months later.

Following his death, Yasbeck filed a $67 million wrongful death suit against radiologist Dr. Matthew Lotysch and cardiologist Dr. Joseph Lee. She accused Lee, who treated Ritter on the day of his death, of misdiagnosing his condition as a heart attack, and Lotysch, who had given him a full-body scan two years earlier, of failing at that time to detect an enlargement of Ritter's aorta. "Both sides agree that his true condition—an aortic dissection, which is a tear in the largest blood vessel in the body—was not identified until right before his death." The trial began on February 11, 2008, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. On March 14, 2008, the defendants were found not responsible for Ritter's death by a jury vote of 9–3. The family has already received more than $14 million in settlements, according to court records, including $9.4 million from Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he died.

Response and legacy

Many of Ritter's co-workers expressed deep sorrow and heartbreak following the news of his death. Suzanne Somers expressed immense despair for Ritter's family, "I'm so sad for the family. We lost a good one, it was so unfinished." Zach Braff, who worked with Ritter on ''Scrubs'', called Ritter a "comic hero" of his and said he had approached series creator Bill Lawrence to get Ritter to play his TV dad. Katey Sagal testified in the wrongful death lawsuit, calling Ritter a "funny man who was funny like nobody's business".

''8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'' was later retitled ''8 Simple Rules'' following Ritter's death and continued for two more seasons until its cancellation on May 17, 2005. Ritter's character, Paul Hennessy, was said to have died after collapsing in a grocery store while buying milk. ABC aired the first three episodes of the show's second season that had been taped before his death. The remainder of the show dealt with the family trying to grapple with Paul's death. New male characters, played by James Garner and David Spade, were later added as the main cast. Shortly before his death, Ritter did a week-long taping with ''Hollywood Squares'', which was aired as a tribute to him, introduced by Henry Winkler, the executive producer of the show and very close friend of Ritter's.

In 2004, Ritter was posthumously given an Emmy nomination for playing Paul Hennessey in ''8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'', but lost to Kelsey Grammer for playing the title character of ''Frasier''. Upon accepting his trophy, Grammer's remarks included comments made in tribute and remembrance of Ritter. His last films, ''Bad Santa'' and ''Clifford's Really Big Movie'', along with an episode of ''Scrubs'' (His character in this series died as well following Ritter's real life death) and ''King of the Hill'', were dedicated in his memory. On June 6, 2008, a mural of Ritter painted by Eloy Torrez was dedicated at Hollywood High School. In March 2010, the Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) Coalition, in partnership with Yasbeck, and the John Ritter Foundation, announced the creation of the Ritter Rules. The purpose of the charity is to help raise awareness among all of the public about aortic dissection so they can reduce their risk of the same kind of tragedy that took the life of Ritter.

Yasbeck has been working with the University of Texas Medical School at Houston Team, identifying genes that may lead to an aortic aneurysm, which are collected by a saliva sample along with many other samples. Those included in the study are all four of Ritter's children. Yasbeck is certain that once these genes are identifiable, such a tragedy should not repeat itself.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1971	''The Barefoot Executive''	Roger
1971	''Scandalous John''	Wandell
1972	''The Other''	Rider
1973	''The Stone Killer''	Officer Mort
1976		Franklin Frank
1978		Paul
1979	''Americathon''	President Chet Roosevelt
1980	''Hero at Large''	Steve Nichols
1980	''Wholly Moses!''	Satan (The Devil)
1981	''They All Laughed''	Charles Rutledge
1982	''The Flight of Dragons''	Peter Dickenson	Voice Direct-to-video
1983	''Sunset Limousine''	Alan O'Black
1985		Alex	TV Film
1986	''A Smoky Mountain Christmas''	Judge Harold Benton	(uncredited)
1987	''Real Men''	Bob Wilson/Agent Pillbox, CIA
1989		Zachary 'Zach' Hutton
1990		'Little' Ben Healy
1991	''The Real Story of O Christmas Tree''	Piney (Voice)	Direct-to-video release
1991	''Problem Child 2''	Ben Healy
1992		Garry Lejeune/Roger Tramplemain
1992		Roy Knable
1993	''Danielle Steel's Heartbeat''	Bill Grant
1994		Ward Nelson
1995		Rick Knowlton
1996	''Sling Blade''	Vaughan Cunningham
1997		Moses Helper
1997	''A Gun, a Car, a Blonde''	Duncan/The Bartender
1997		Hank
1998		Dr. Wexler
1998	''Shadow of Doubt''	Steven Mayer
1998	''I Woke Up Early the Day I Died''	Robert Forrest
1998	''Bride of Chucky''	Police Chief Warren Kincaid
2000		Dr. Josh Parks
2000	''Lost in the Perishing Point Hotel''	Christian Therapist
2000	''Tripfall''	Tom Williams
2000	''Terror Tract''	Bob Carter	Segment: Make Me an Offer
2001	''Nuncrackers''	Narrator	Direct-to-video
2002		Stanley Grubman
2002		Bill
2003		Eli
2003	''Bad Santa''	Bob Chipeska	Posthumously released
2004	''Clifford's Really Big Movie''	Clifford the Big Red Dog (Voice)	Posthumously released
2006	''Stanley's Dinosaur Round-Up''	Great Uncle Stew (Voice)	Direct-to-video releasePosthumously released

Television

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1968	''Crazy World, Crazy People''	Various characters
1970	''Dan August''		Episode: "Quadrangle for Death"
1971, 1977	''Hawaii Five-O''	Ryan Moore Mike Welles	2 episodes
1972 to 1976	''The Waltons''	Rev. Matthew Fordwick	18 episodes
1973		Ronnie	Episode: "End of the Line"
1973	''Bachelor-at-Law''	Ben Sykes
1973		Pvt. Carter	Episode: "Deal Me Out"
1974		Kenny Soames	Episode: "Deliver Us Some Evil"
1974	''Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law''	Greg	Episode: "To Keep and Bear Arms"
1974	''The Bob Newhart Show''	Dave	Episode: "Sorry, Wrong Mother"
1975		Casey	Episode: "Landslide"
1975	''Mannix''	Cliff Elgin
1975	''The Bob Crane Show''	Hornbeck	Episode: "Son of the Campus Capers"
1975	''Petrocelli''	John Oleson	Episode: "Chain of Command"
1975	''Barnaby Jones''	Joe Rockwell	Episode: "The Price of Terror"
1975	''The Streets of San Francisco''	John 'Johnny' Steiner	Episode: "Murder by Proxy"
1975	''The Night That Panicked America''	Walter Wingate
1975	''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''	Reverend Chatfield
1975	''The Rookies''	Hap Dawson	Episode: "Reluctant Hero"
1975 to 1976	''Rhoda''	Vince Mazuma Jerry Blocker	2 episodes
1976	''Starsky and Hutch''	Tom Cole
1976		Paul Jameson	Episode: "The New Job"
1976 to 1984	''Three's Company''	Jack Tripper	174 episodes
1977 to 1983	''The Love Boat''	Dale Riley/Reinhardt	3 episodes
1978	''Ringo''	Marty	TV film
1978	''Leave Yesterday Behind''	Paul Stallings	ABC TV film
1979	''The Ropers''	Jack Tripper	Episode: "The Party"
1980		Chick	Episode: "The Censors"
1980		Bubba Newman	ABC TV film
1981		Frankie	Episode: "Little Miseries"
1982		Tom McPherson	ABC TV film
1982	''In Love with an Older Woman''	Robert	CBS TV film
1983	''Sunset Limousine''	Alan O'Black	CBS TV film
1984	''Love Thy Neighbor''	Danny Loeb	ABC TV film
1984	''Pryor's Place''		Episode: "The Showoff"
1984 to 1985	''Three's a Crowd''	Jack Tripper	22 episodes
1985	''Letting Go''	Alex	ABC TV film
1986	''Living Seas''	Host	NBC TV film
1986	''Unnatural Causes''	Frank Coleman	NBC TV film
1986	''A Smoky Mountain Christmas''	Judge Harold Benton	ABC film
1986	''Life With Lucy''	Himself	Guest Appearance
1987	''The Last Fling''	Phillip Reed	ABC TV film
1987	''Prison for Children''	David Royce	CBS TV film
1987 to 1989	''Hooperman''	Det. Harry Hooperman	42 episodes
1988	''Mickey's 60th Birthday''	Dudley Goode	TV special
1988	''Tricks of the Trade''	Donald Todsen	Cameo CBS TV film
1989	''My Brother's Wife''	Barney	ABC TV film
1990		Adult Ben "Haystack" Hanscom	ABC TV film
1990	''The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story''	L. Frank Baum	NBC TV film
1991	''The Cosby Show''	Ray Evans
1991	''The Summer My Father Grew Up''	Paul	NBC TV film
1991	''Anything But Love''	Patrick Serreau	5 episodes
1992		Inspector Gill	Voice
1992 to 1994	''Hearts Afire''	John Hartman	54 episodes
1993		Bill Grant	NBC TV film
1993	''The Only Way Out''	Jeremy Carlisle	ABC TV film
1993	''The Larry Sanders Show''	Himself	Episode: "Off Camera"
1994	''Dave's World''	John Hartman	Episode: "Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"
1995	''Gramps''	Clarke MacGruder	NBC TV film
1995	''The Colony''	Rick Knowlton	TV film
1995	''NewsRadio''	Dr. Frank Westford
1996	''Unforgivable''	Paul Hegstrom	CBS TV film
1996		Stuart Davenport	Episode: "Love Overboard"
1996	''For Hope''	Date #5	''uncredited'' ABC TV film
1996 to 1999	''Touched by an Angel''	Mike O'Connor Tom McKinsley	2 episodes
1997	''Loss of Faith''	Bruce Simon Barker	TV film
1997	''Mercenary''	Jonas Ambler	HBO TV film
1997	''A Child's Wish''	Ed Chandler	CBS TV film
1997	''Dead Man's Gun''	Harry McDonacle	Segment: "The Great McDonacle"
1997		Justin Talbot	Episode: "The Nemesis"
1997		Ted Buchanan
1997 to 2003	''King of the Hill''	Eugene Grandy (Voice)	4 episodes
1998	''Chance of a Lifetime''	Tom Maguire	CBS TV film
1998	''Ally McBeal''	George Madison	2 episodes
1998	''Dead Husbands''	Dr. Carter Elston	TV film
1999	''Veronica's Closet''	Tim
1999	''Holy Joe''	Joe Cass	CBS TV film
1999		Donald Bridges	TV film
1999	''Lethal Vows''	Dr. David Farris	CBS TV film
2000	''Chicago Hope''	Joe Dysmerski	Episode: "Simon Sez"
2000	''Batman Beyond''	Dr. David Wheeler (Voice)
2000		Father Andrews	Episode: "Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law"
2000 to 2003		Clifford	Voice
2000 to 2002		Mr. Andrew Covington	7 episodes
2001		Marty	Episode: "Homewrecker for the Holidays"
2002	''The Ellen Show''	Percy Moss
2002	''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''	Dr. Richard Manning
2002		Lloyd Fuchs	Episode: "Pilot"
2002			2 episodes
2002 to 2003			31 episodes

Awards and nominations

Chlotrudis Awards

1997: Nominated, "Best Supporting Actor" – ''Sling Blade''

DVD Exclusive Awards

2003: Nominated, "Best Audio Commentary, Library Release" – ''High Noon'' (shared w/Maria Copper & Tim Zinnemann)

Daytime Emmy Awards

2001: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" – ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''

2002: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" – ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''

2003: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" – ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''

2004: Nominated, "Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program" – ''Clifford the Big Red Dog''

Emmy Awards

1978: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" – ''Three's Company''

1981: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" – ''Three's Company''

1984: Won, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" – ''Three's Company''

1988: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" – ''Hooperman''

1999: Nominated, "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" – ''Ally McBeal''

2004: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" – ''8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter''

Golden Globe Awards

1979: Nominated, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" – ''Three's Company''

1980: Nominated, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" – ''Three's Company''

1984: Won, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" – ''Three's Company''

1987: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television" – ''Unnatural Causes''

1988: Nominated, "Best TV Actor in a Musical/Comedy" – ''Hooperman''

People's Choice Awards

1988: Won, "Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program" – ''Hooperman''

Screen Actors Guild Awards

1997: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast" – ''Sling Blade'' (shared w/co-stars)

Hollywood Walk of Fame

1983: "Star on the Walk of Fame" – 6627 Hollywood Boulevard; he and Tex Ritter were the first father-and-son pair to be so honored in different categories.

Trivia:

John Ritter played the role of "Dad" in the music video of "Innocent Eyes" by Graham Nash released off the album of the same name in 1986. The video centres around the theme of eternal youth and the characters proceed to dance at a Graham Nash concert.

Further reading

References

External links

John Ritter at Emmys.com

Category:1948 births Category:2003 deaths Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in California Category:Deaths from aortic dissection Category:Deaths onstage Category:People from Burbank, California Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:University of Southern California alumni

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