Paul Ritter: English Actor of Friday Night Dinner and Chernobyl
Paul Ritter was an English stage and screen actor. He is best known for the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020), the HBO and Sky miniseries Chernobyl (2019) and the films Quantum of Solace (2008) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). He died on 5 April 2021 in Faversham, aged 54.
Paul Ritter is still widely searched because he could move from broad family comedy to serious historical drama. His last major screen role was coroner Bentley Purchase in the wartime drama Operation Mincemeat (2021).
Who was Paul Ritter?
| Full name | Simon Paul Adams |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 December 1966, Gravesend, Kent, England |
| Died | 5 April 2021, Faversham, England (aged 54) |
| Occupation | Actor (film, television and stage) |
| Years active | 2001–2021 on screen |
| Known for | Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020), Chernobyl (2019), Quantum of Solace (2008), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) |
| Profiles | Wikipedia · IMDb |
Paul Ritter’s turning point: Friday Night Dinner (2011)
Paul Ritter’s career changed in 2011, when he joined the cast of Friday Night Dinner. The sitcom ran until 2020. In it he played the father of a London family, alongside Tamsin Greig, Simon Bird and Tom Rosenthal. The show made him a household name in Britain. In 2021 the cast and crew looked back on its ten years in the documentary You Look Nice: The True Story of Friday Night Dinner.
That same year he also began appearing in the ITV detective drama Vera, which he stayed with until 2013. He also played in the Roman epic The Eagle (2011).
Paul Ritter’s early film and stage work (2001–2010)
Paul Ritter’s screen career started in offbeat comedies. These included The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz (2001) and On a Clear Day (2006), with Peter Mullan and Brenda Blethyn. He also appeared in The Libertine and in the TV film The Girl in the Café.
In 2007 he played Prisoner Louis in Hannibal Rising, a man under investigation for the illegal trading of children. The same year he appeared in Son of Rambow. He then took roles in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) and Nowhere Boy (2009).
On stage, Paul Ritter went to Broadway with The Norman Conquests, Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy. The cast was honored as an ensemble, including a Theatre World Special Award in 2009.
Paul Ritter’s later drama roles (2012–2021)
Paul Ritter spent his final decade in prestige drama. He appeared in The Hollow Crown (2012), The Last Kingdom (2015), Suite Française (2015), Inferno (2016) and Their Finest. In 2019 he was part of the Chernobyl ensemble, the miniseries about the 1986 nuclear disaster. That year he also appeared in Resistance and Catherine the Great.
His last television role was Turton in the period drama Belgravia (2020). He then played Bentley Purchase in Operation Mincemeat (2021).
Selected film and TV work of Paul Ritter
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Operation Mincemeat | Bentley Purchase | Film |
| 2021 | You Look Nice: The True Story of Friday Night Dinner | Himself | Documentary |
| 2020 | Belgravia | Turton | TV series |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | — | TV series |
| 2019 | Resistance | — | TV series |
| 2016 | Inferno | — | Film |
| 2015 | The Last Kingdom | — | TV series |
| 2015 | Suite Française | — | Film |
| 2012 | The Hollow Crown | — | TV series |
| 2011–2020 | Friday Night Dinner | — | TV series |
| 2011–2013 | Vera | — | TV series |
| 2011 | The Eagle | — | Film |
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | — | Film |
| 2008 | Quantum of Solace | — | Film |
| 2007 | Hannibal Rising | Prisoner Louis | Film |
Paul Ritter awards and recognition
- 2009 – Theatre World Special Award. Paul Ritter won it for his work in the Broadway production of The Norman Conquests.
FAQ
– What has Paul Ritter been in?
Paul Ritter appeared in Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020), Vera (2011–2013), Chernobyl (2019) and Belgravia (2020). His films include Hannibal Rising (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) and Operation Mincemeat (2021).
– When did Paul Ritter die?
Paul Ritter died on 5 April 2021 in Faversham, England. He was born on 20 December 1966, so he was 54.
– Where was Paul Ritter born?
Paul Ritter was born Simon Paul Adams in Gravesend, Kent, on 20 December 1966.
– Was Paul Ritter in Chernobyl?
Yes, Paul Ritter was in the cast of Chernobyl, the 2019 HBO and Sky miniseries about the 1986 nuclear disaster.
Header photo: Jean Ritter (deceased) / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain, resized
