John Ritter - Early Life

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.