Early Life
Ritter was born in Burbank, California. His father, Tex Ritter, was a singing cowboy/matinee-star of German descent, and his mother, Dorothy Fay (née Southworth), was an actress. Ritter 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, Ritter was a contestant on The Dating Game.
While still in college, Ritter traveled to England, Scotland, Holland, and West Germany to perform in plays. After his graduation from USC in 1970, 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. Ritter made guest appearances on the television series Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H and others. Ritter had a recurring role on the drama series 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.
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Famous quotes related to early life:
“... goodness is of a modest nature, easily discouraged, and when much elbowed in early life by unabashed vices, is apt to retire into extreme privacy, so that it is more easily believed in by those who construct a selfish old gentleman theoretically, than by those who form the narrower judgments based on his personal acquaintance.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“... business training in early life should not be regarded solely as insurance against destitution in the case of an emergency. For from business experience women can gain, too, knowledge of the world and of human beings, which should be of immeasurable value to their marriage careers. Self-discipline, co-operation, adaptability, efficiency, economic management,—if she learns these in her business life she is liable for many less heartbreaks and disappointments in her married life.”
—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)