British character actor Paul Ritter, who won plaudits for his powerful performance in HBO's Golden Globe-winning miniseries "Chernobyl," died in April 2021. The Kent native "had been suffering from a brain tumor," his agent told The Guardian. "He died peacefully at home with his wife, Polly, and sons, Frank and Noah, by his side." He was 54.
Ritter was well known in theater communities on both sides of the Atlantic, having been nominated for both an Olivier Award and a Tony Award in his time. He made his onscreen bow in 1992, with an appearance in the long-running police procedural "The Bill." He went on to carve out a career as a prolific TV actor, landing recurring roles in the likes of "City Lights," "Land Girls," "Vera," "The Game," "Hang Ups," "No Offence," "Resistance," "Cold Feet," and "Belgravia." Alongside his turn as engineer Anatoly Dyatlov in "Chernobyl," his best-known performance came in the British sitcom "Friday Night Dinner," where he played oddball dad Martin Goodman. Robert Popper, creator of "Fright Night Dinner," said that he was "devastated at this terribly sad news" in a tribute tweet. "Paul was a lovely, wonderful human being. Kind, funny, super caring and the greatest actor I ever worked with."
Notable feature film appearances include "The Libertine," "Hannibal Rising," "Quantum of Solace," and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." In the sixth "Potter" movie, Ritter played Eldred Worple, the wizard who unsuccessfully tries to convince Harry to let him write his biography at Professor Slughorn's party.
