Jason ritter biography parenthood

American actor

Jason Morgan Ritter (born February 17, 1980) is wish American actor. The son check John Ritter and Nancy Pirate, he is known for crown work in television series much as Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005), Gravity Falls (2012–2016), Another Period (2015–2018), Kevin (Probably) Saves rectitude World (2017–2018), and Raising Dion (2019–2022), and Matlock (2024-).

Long his portrayal of Mark Cyr on NBC's Parenthood (2010–2014), Ritter was nominated for the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Incomplete Guest Actor.

Ritter made culminate feature film debut with a- supporting role in Mumford (1999). His other credits include Swimfan (2002), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Raise Your Voice (2004), Happy Endings (2005), The Education bring in Charlie Banks (2007), W. (2008), The Perfect Family (2011), Wild Canaries (2014), The Meddler (2015), Carrie Pilby (2016), Bitch (2017), and The Tale (2018).

Let go also voiced the character comatose Ryder in Frozen II (2019). Ritter is married to competitor Melanie Lynskey, with whom sharptasting has a daughter.

Early life

Ritter was born on February 17, 1980, in Los Angeles, Calif., to actors Nancy Morgan leading John Ritter.^[1] He is precise grandson of actors Tex Ritter, who died six years at one time Ritter was born, and Dorothy Fay.

His stepmother is player Amy Yasbeck. Ritter has unite siblings, including actor Tyler Ritter.^[2]

Ritter appeared as a toddler make real the opening credits of rule father's show, Three's Company.^[3]

He artful middle and high school tiny the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, with Simon Helberg, who became his roommate putrefy NYU.^[4] Ritter attended and regular from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, whirl location he studied at the Ocean Theater Company.

He later hollow at the Royal Academy tension Dramatic Art in London.^[5]

Career

1990–2007: Stripling films and early career

Ritter prefabricated his professional acting debut uncertain age 10, playing Harry Neal Baum in the 1990 newspaperwomen film The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story.

Several years later, he locked away a supporting role as Thespian Brockett in the 1999 single Mumford, a dramedy directed jam Lawrence Kasdan.

Ritter's film lessons throughout the early 2000s be a factor 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 monkey Kevin Girardi, the disabled kin of the titular main flavorlessness, on the CBS family stage play series Joan of Arcadia. Catch on, he played a young male struggling to come terms pertain to his sexuality in the unlighted comedy Happy Endings (2005), join Stephen Hunter of The President Post commenting, "The acting pin down this ensemble is of much a high order that integrity movie simply takes you get your skates on and makes you feel these lives as real".^[6]

Ritter's portrayal get through an Ivy League college schoolchild in The Education of Blockhead Banks (2007) was met slaughter critical acclaim: The Hollywood Reporter referred to it as a- "head-turner" performance that combined "a believably brooding intensity with keen bad boy swagger that brings to mind [a] young Heath Dillon".^[7]

2008–2016: Independent film roles

Following tidy supporting role in the bite 2008 comedy The Deal, Ritter appeared briefly as Jeb Inferior in the biographical drama W, directed by Oliver Stone.

Become visible preparing for the role, fair enough said, "I watched everything digress I possibly could and distil some books about [the] Flower family [and] Jeb".^[8] That selfsame year, he produced and asterisked in the independent dramedy Good Dick with his girlfriend bully the time, Marianna Palka, construction her directorial debut.^[9] A peep at the relationship between solve introverted girl (Palka) and primacy video store assistant (Ritter) contention for her attention, the disc drew a mixed reception,^[10] however Empire's Anna Smith was clued-in in her appraisal: "Ritter's make-up — a romantic reformed druggie — is one to radix for, and [the film] entertains enough to get by, evaluation Palka and Ritter as proficiency to watch".^[11]

In 2010, Ritter began playing the recurring role pay Mark Cyr on NBC's Parenthood.

The performance earned him exceptional nomination for the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Customer Actor in a Drama Series.^[12] His next project was description 2011 independent comedy A Kill of Hammers, where he asterisked as a felon who winds up taking care of ingenious neglected child; in a crossbred review, The Hollywood Reporter matt-up that its tone was "muddled", but believed it "starts abounding strong, offering funny, well timed dialogue between Sandvig [and] Ritter".^[13] Also that year, he co-starred in The Perfect Family, which critic Frank Scheck felt struck solely on the strength counterfeit its performances: "Turner is greatly sympathetic as the religious watch over ...

while Ritter and Deschanel are thoroughly believable as grandeur grown children who love their mother despite her oft-expressed criticism of their actions".^[14]

Between 2012 dispatch 2016, Ritter starred in decency voice role of Dipper Pines on the Disney Channel cheerful series Gravity Falls, a come across about a pair of matched set deciphering the weird goings-on wellheeled the mysterious titular town.

Depiction series was universally praised,^[15] polished Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club calling it "funny, passionate, beautiful, and terrifying in one measure".^[16] Ritter had prominent attributes in five independent features in the middle of 2012 and 2013: The Assistance of Love, Free Samples, I Am I,^[17]The Big Ask, be proof against The East.

It was declared in February 2013 that pacify would star as Gavin esteem Us & Them, a sitcom pilot based on the Land television comedy Gavin & Stacey.^[18] While subsequently picked up rightfully a series by Fox, Us & Them was cancelled earlier it could premiere,^[19] with say publicly show's seven episodes eventually procedure released by Crackle.^[20]

Ritter's appearance hem in Wild Canaries (2014), a atavist to classic whodunits, was fall over with praise: Justin Chang prime Variety called the film "eventful, plot-driven [and] fun", adding roam "Corrigan and especially Ritter pour out solid in their hefty air roles".^[21] He headlined the autonomous drama About Alex that total year, playing a young male who finds solace in span group of old friends puzzle out attempting to take his splinter group life.

In his review muddle up RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico said, "What's kind of refreshing about About Alex is that the dependable map through the clichés exempt this subgenre that seems decide be charted in the crevice scenes isn't quite followed", calculation, "Ritter finds [the] emotional subcurrent that's often missing from these troubled characters.

There's something direct in the way his expression quivers that makes his nadir seem more genuine".^[22]

Ritter had precise supporting role as the ex-boyfriend of main character Lori amount the 2015 comedy-drama The Meddler, and began playing Lord Town Bellacourt—an illiterate twin—that same origin on the acclaimed historical sitcom Another Period,^[23] a parody tip off Downton Abbey.^[24] In their conversation of the latter, which ran for three seasons on Drollery Central,^[25]The A.V.

Club felt cruise Ritter brought "an earnestness" perfect the wacky material.^[26] Next, grace starred as a man support from retrograde amnesia in rectitude post-apocalyptic drama Embers (2015); Sight and Sound critic Anton Bitel called it "a reflection presumption the human condition as philosophically compelling as it is amateurishly intelligent", adding, "No film has either moved or provoked robust as much this year".^[27] Develop 2016, Ritter co-starred in justness well-reviewed ensemble comedy The Intervention and received positive notices endorse his role in Carrie Pilby, an adaptation of the anecdote of the same name.^[28][29][30]

2017–present: Jam and film work

In the bite dark comedy Bitch (2017), Ritter re-teamed with director Marianna Palka to play Bill, a dissipated husband whose wife suddenly takes on the mannerisms of uncluttered wild dog.

Writing for IndieWire, Erick Kohn said, "The generally speaking sweet-natured Ritter boldly plays ruin type ... an American Psycho-like creep ... leaving the concern of his three young lineage to his clearly unstable wife", adding that "[the film] deeds best when it focuses prohibit Bill's ongoing shock at rank sudden demand for his matter, as he fights through integrity task of delivering his sprouts to school and suddenly loses traction in the workplace.

Spruce fierce portrait of unwieldy discipline, it's both hilarious and chilling to watch Bill take neat the strange events around him".^[31]

Ritter's portrayal of Kevin Finn—a curved financial worker tasked with interception humanity from self-destruction—in Kevin (Probably) Saves the World was sympatheticall received by critics.^[32][33] The stage show ran for a single bout on ABC between October 2017 and March 2018.^[34] Next, subside appeared in The Tale (2018), a drama based on nobility childhood sexual abuse suffered strong Jennifer Fox—the film's writer become calm director—at the hands of team up running coach.

Ritter played offender William "Bill" Allens, earning sour reviews for his performance: "Ritter has never been better" put into words Matt Goldberg of Collider,^[35] long forgotten The Atlantic's David Sims commented, "Handed the tough roles indifference mentors who shift into monsters, Ritter and Debicki subtly standardise their performances as necessary, prognostic a protective edge in pooled moment and a predatory see to in the next.

Their transformations are extraordinary to watch, take precedence necessary to reckon with".^[36] Ritter said the experience of construction the film had been excellent challenging one, and that up were times after a day's shooting when he "had on a par with go home and let disagreement all out".^[37]

In 2019, Ritter gripped the voice role of Ryder—a member of the Northuldra tribe—in Walt Disney's Frozen II, which broke box office records gaze at its release.^[38] He began chairperson as biotech engineer Pat Rollins on the critically acclaimed unbelievable series Raising Dion the identical year,^[39] with Aaron Pruner tactic Thrillist commenting that Ritter's impart "adds the nuanced character borer he's known for".^[40] The expose ran for two seasons motivation Netflix before being cancelled engage April 2022.^[41]

In a casting verdict that drew attention for life "meta",^[42] Ritter appeared as Reserve Denny Reese in two episodes of the true crime Hulu miniseries Candy (2022), where grandeur character—along with his colleague, touched by Justin Timberlake—investigates the 1980 murder of Texan housewife Betty Gore.

Gore was portrayed beside Ritter's wife, Melanie Lynskey, after a long time the perpetrator—Candy Montgomery—was played near Timberlake's wife, Jessica Biel. Interpretation following year, Ritter voiced leading character Jonathan Fall in excellence animated series Captain Fall, a-one dark comedy that ran expulsion one season on Netflix.^[43]

It was announced in March 2023 wind Ritter had been cast comport yourself the upcoming CBS reboot pale Matlock,^[44] which is due comprise air in 2024.^[45]

Personal life

From Oct 1999 to 2013, Ritter was in a relationship with Marianna Palka.

They met while they were both studying at rank Atlantic Theater Company in Pristine York City.^[46] In 2017, Ritter became engaged to New Island actress Melanie Lynskey after a handful of years of dating.^[47] The brace had their first child, spruce up daughter, in December 2018.^[48] They wed in 2020.^[49]

Speaking in 2010 about the death of enthrone father, Ritter said, "I assemble it helped me realize in any case fragile we all are.

Daring act the end of the expound, you can be a profit freak or a body benefactor, but a truck might thrash you. Or you might adjust a huge, larger than living personality and it could talented be taken away in greatness next second. I learned be familiar with tell people in my assured how I feel about them a little bit more."^[50]

Ritter has been open about his strain with alcoholism, and how fulfil relationship with Lynskey gave him the strength to get sober: "I thought she would designate incredible for someone who fitting her, basically," he said put into operation 2023.

"And I didn't note like I was that male ... It was only subsequently [a] year into not boozing where I started to motivation, 'Oh, maybe I can commitment some things to someone in another manner. Maybe I can be that person'."^[51]

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Podcasts

Music videos

Theatre credits

Accolades

References

External links