Paul Ritter dead aged 54 – Friday Night Dinner star dies of brain tumour
FRIDAY Night Dinner star Paul Ritter has died aged 54 of a brain tumour.
Ritter, who starred as Martin on the Channel 4 show, died on Monday, his agent said.
In a statement, the agent said the actor died at home with his family by his side.
The statement said: “It is with great sadness we can confirm that Paul Ritter passed away last night.
“He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side. He was 54 and had been suffering from a brain tumour.
“Paul was an exceptionally talented actor playing an enormous variety of roles on stage and screen with extraordinary skill. He was fiercely intelligent, kind and very funny. We will miss him greatly.”
Ritter also appeared in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace and in the acclaimed miniseries Chernobyl.
He was nominated for an Olivier award in 2006, and for a Tony in 2009.
He is due to appear in a 10th anniversary retrospective of Friday Night Dinner – alongside co-stars Tamsin Greig, Simon Bird and Tom Rosenthal – which will air on Channel 4 later in 2021.
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Ritter often appeared shirtless apart for an apron as Martin on Friday Night Dinner.
He told the Radio Times: “The topless idea was explained to me quite early on and like a fool I said ‘Yeah, fine’.
“One leaves one dignity at the door, I guess. There’s a great quote from Bert Kwouk talking about the Pink Panther films.
“He said: ‘Always take the work seriously but not yourself’. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”
Some of Ritter’s acting colleagues paid tribute to him after his death.
Actor Eddie Marsan tweeted: “Just out of drama school I saw a production of Three Sisters. A young actor playing Tuzenbach, did the monologue before the duel.
“I’d heard it every week at DS (drama school). But when he did it, I forgot I’d heard it before. He went on to be one of our greatest actors. RIP Paul Ritter.”
Actor Rob Delaney also shared an emotional message, writing: “Knocked it out of the PARK in Chernobyl. Watching it I consciously thought, ‘Oh, we have a new movie star.
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“Between that and how funny he was in Friday Night Dinner… just unreal talent. Rest in peace, Paul Ritter.”
Will Mellor said Ritter was a “fantastic actor”.
“I’m so shocked to hear about Paul Ritter! I can’t believe it!,” he wrote on Twitter. “Great man and fantastic actor, My heart goes out to his family, Such a sad day. RIP Paul. X #RIP #heartbreaking. “