Jason Ritter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jason Ritter
Ritter in 2015
Born	Jason Morgan Ritter (1980-02-17) February 17, 1980 (age 44) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Actor producer
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Melanie Lynskey ​ (m. 2020)​
Partner(s)	Marianna Palka (1999–2013)
Children	1
Parents	John Ritter (father) Nancy Morgan (mother)
Relatives	Tex Ritter (grandfather) Dorothy Fay (grandmother) Tyler Ritter (brother) Amy Yasbeck (stepmother)

Jason Morgan Ritter (born February 17, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his work in television series such as Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005), Gravity Falls (2012–2016), Another Period (2015–2018), and Raising Dion (2019–2022). He received an Emmy nomination for his recurring portrayal of Mark Cyr on NBC's Parenthood (2010–2014), and starred as Kevin Finn on ABC's Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (2017–2018). Ritter's film credits include Swimfan (2002), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Happy Endings (2005), The Education of Charlie Banks (2007), W. (2008), The Meddler (2015), The Tale (2018), and Frozen II (2019). Ritter is married to actress Melanie Lynskey, with whom he has a daughter.

Early life

Ritter was born on February 17, 1980 in Los Angeles, California to actors Nancy Morgan and John Ritter. He is the grandson of actors Tex Ritter (who died six years before Ritter was born) and Dorothy Fay. His stepmother is actress Amy Yasbeck. Ritter has three siblings including actor Tyler Ritter.

Ritter first appeared in the opening credits of his father's show Three's Company with Joyce DeWitt in the petting-zoo scene.

He attended middle and high school at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California with Simon Helberg, who became his roommate at NYU. He then attended and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied at the Atlantic Theater Company. He also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Career

1990–2007: Teen films and early career

Ritter made his professional acting debut at age 10, playing Harry Neal Baum in the 1990 television movie The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story. Several years later, he had a supporting role as Martin Brockett in the 1999 film Mumford, a dramedy directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

Ritter's film work throughout the early 2000s included prominent parts in teen-oriented projects such as Swimfan (2002), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), and Raise Your Voice (2004). Between 2003 and 2005, he appeared as Kevin Girardi, the disabled brother of the titular main character, on the CBS family drama series Joan of Arcadia.

Ritter in 2007

Ritter's portrayal of an Ivy League college student in The Education of Charlie Banks (2007) was met with critical acclaim: The Hollywood Reporter referred to it as a "head-turner" performance that combined "a believably brooding intensity with a bad boy swagger that brings to mind [a] young Matt Dillon".

2008–2016: Independent film roles

Following a supporting role in the satirical 2008 comedy The Deal, Ritter appeared briefly as Jeb Bush in the biographical drama W, directed by Oliver Stone.

In 2010, Ritter began playing the recurring role of Mark Cyr on NBC's Parenthood. The performance earned him a nomination for the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. His next project was the 2011 independent comedy A Bag of Hammers, where he starred as a felon who winds up taking care of a neglected child. Also that year, he co-starred in The Perfect Family, which critic Frank Scheck felt worked solely on the strength of its performances: "Turner is deeply sympathetic as the religious matriarch (...) while Ritter and Deschanel are thoroughly believable as the grown children who love their mother despite her oft-expressed disapproval of their actions".

Between 2012 and 2016, Ritter starred in the voice role of Dipper Pines on the Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls, a show about a pair of twins deciphering the weird goings-on in the mysterious titular town. The series was universally praised, with Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club calling it "funny, emotional, beautiful, and terrifying in equal measure". Ritter had prominent parts in five independent features between 2012 and 2013: The End of Love, Free Samples, I Am I, The Big Ask, and The East. It was announced in February 2013 that he would star as Gavin in Us & Them, a sitcom pilot based on the British television comedy Gavin & Stacey. While subsequently picked up as a series by Fox, Us & Them was cancelled before it could premiere, with the show's seven episodes eventually being released by Crackle.

Ritter at the 2013 Paleyfest

Ritter's appearance in Wild Canaries (2014), a throwback to classic whodunits, was met with praise: Justin Chang of Variety called the film "eventful, plot-driven [and] fun", adding that "Corrigan and especially Ritter are solid in their hefty supporting roles". He headlined the independent drama About Alex that same year, playing a young man who finds solace in a group of old friends after attempting to take his own life. In his review for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico said, "What's kind of refreshing about About Alex is that the predictable map through the clichés of this subgenre that seems to be charted in the opening scenes isn't quite followed", adding, "Ritter finds [the] emotional undercurrent that's often missing from these troubled characters. There's something honest in the way his voice quivers that makes his depression seem more genuine".

Ritter had a supporting role as the ex-boyfriend of main chacter Lori in the 2015 comedy-drama The Meddler, and began playing Lord Frederick Bellacourt—an illiterate twin—that same year on the acclaimed historical sitcom Another Period, a parody of Downton Abbey. In their review of the latter, which ran for three seasons on Comedy Central, The A.V. Club felt that Ritter brought "an earnestness" to the wacky material. Next, he starred as a man suffering from retrograde amnesia in the post-apocalyptic drama Embers (2015); Sight and Sound critic Anton Bitel called it "a reflection of the human condition as philosophically compelling as it is emotionally intelligent", adding, "No film has either moved or provoked me as much this year". In 2016, Ritter co-starred in the well-reviewed ensemble comedy The Intervention and received positive notices for his role in Carrie Pilby, an adaptation of the novel of the same name.

2017–present: Television and film work

Ritter's portrayal of Kevin Finn—a depressed financial worker tasked with preventing humanity from self-destruction—in Kevin (Probably) Saves the World was warmly received by critics. The show ran for a single season on ABC between October 2017 and March 2018. Next, he appeared in The Tale (2018). Ritter earned strong reviews for his performance.

In 2019, Ritter played the voice role of Ryder—a member of the Northuldra tribe—in Walt Disney's Frozen II, which broke box office records upon its release. He began starring as biotech engineer Pat Rollins on the critically acclaimed superhero series Raising Dion the same year, with Aaron Pruner of Thrillist commenting that Ritter's involvement "adds the nuanced character work he's known for". The show ran for two seasons on Netflix before being cancelled in April 2022.

In a casting choice that drew attention for being "meta", Ritter appeared as Deputy Denny Reese in two episodes of the true crime Hulu miniseries Candy (2022), where the character—along with his colleague, played by Justin Timberlake—investigates the 1980 murder of Texan housewife Betty Gore. Gore was portrayed by Ritter's wife, Melanie Lynskey, while the perpetrator—Candy Montgomery—was played by Timberlake's wife, Jessica Biel. It was announced in March the following year that Ritter had been cast in the upcoming CBS reboot of Matlock. The series will air in 2024.

Personal life

From October 1999 to 2013, Ritter was in a relationship with Marianna Palka. They met while they were both studying at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. In 2017, Ritter became engaged to New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey after four years of dating. The couple had their first child, a daughter, in December 2018. They wed in 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Podcasts

Music videos

Theatre credits

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Jason Ritter para niños