The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Friday Night Dinner actor Paul Ritter, aged 54
Tributes have been paid to Friday Night Dinner and Chernobyl star Paul Ritter following his death aged 54.
Ritter, who also notched up credits in Vera, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, Wolf Hall and James Bond film Quantum Of Solace, had been suffering from a brain tumour.
Actors paid tribute to the star, best known for his role as eccentric father Martin Goodman in Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner.
Writer Robert Popper, who created the muchloved sitcom, said he was “devastated”.
“Paul was a lovely, wonderful human being. Kind, funny, super caring and the greatest actor I ever worked with,” Popper wrote on Twitter.
Actor Stephen Mangan said he was “trying to find a way to talk about Paul Ritter and struggling”. He tweeted: “My friend since we were students together. So much talent and it shone from him even as a teenager. I was so lucky to know him and lucky too to work with him many times over the years. Wonderful man. RIP.”
Actor Rob Delaney recalled Ritter’s performance as Anatoly Dyatlov, tweeting: “Knocked it out of the PARK in Chernobyl. Watching it I consciously thought, oh, we have a new movie star. Between that and how funny he was in Friday Night Dinner... just unreal talent.”
Mark Gatiss wrote of Ritter: “What an actor. What a presence. So shocked and saddened by this awful news.”
Fellow actor Russell Tovey said Ritter was “one of the nicest and best actors you’ll ever meet”.
“I had the absolute pleasure of a first play at 19 with him, he called me a ‘plonker’ when I left him hanging on stage once at a missed entrance cue – I’ve never forgotten it and never did it again – RIP mate x,” wrote Tovey.
Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan wrote: “So, so sad to hear this. I was such a fan of Paul Ritter, he was absolutely magic.”
A statement from Ritter’s agent said the actor died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side.
The statement went on: “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.”
Born in 1966, Ritter made his TV debut in an episode of The Bill in 1992 and became an acclaimed stage actor, working with the National Theatre.
He also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and played Pistol in the 2012 mini-series The Hollow Crown.
He was nominated for a Tony Award and an Olivier for his role as Reg in the Old Vic’s revival of The Norman Conquests.
Hugh Adams, of charity Brain Tumour Research, said: “Our deepest condolences go to Paul’s family and friends following the devastating news that he has died from this terrible disease.
“Approximately 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour and unlike most other cancers, incidences of and deaths from brain tumours are rising.
“Just 12% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.”