TV superstar John Ritter made his mark in movies, too

Q: I was very touched by the recent ABC documentary about John Ritter. I know it made mention of “Sling Blade,” but what were some of the other movies he did? – Sharon James, via e-mail

A: Ritter already had some movie credits before the sitcom “Three’s Company” premiered in 1977, including the

Charles Bronson police thriller “The Stone Killer” and the Peter Bogdanovich-directed “Nickelodeon.” His television stardom brought him bigger theatrical-feature roles ... in fact, he played the U.S. president in “Americathon,” and he also appeared in “Hero at Large,” “Wholly Moses!” and another Bogdanovich project, “They All Laughed.”

“Real Men” and director Blake Edwards’ “Skin Deep” preceded the first really big movie hit Ritter had, “Problem Child” (which also was referenced on that ABC special by his second wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, whom he met while making that film). That logically led him into the sequel “Problem Child 2,” which he followed with “Noises Off,” “Stay Tuned” and “North.”

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