British actor Paul Ritter, who includes the HBO / Sky drama ‘Chernobyl’ and the comedy ‘Friday Night Dinner’ on Channel 4, has died of a brain tumor. He was 54.
“With great sadness we can confirm that Paul Ritter passed away last night,” Ritter’s agent said. “He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and the sons Frank and Noah by his side. He was 54 and suffering from a brain tumor.
“Paul was an extraordinarily talented actor who performed an enormous variety of roles on stage and on screen with extraordinary skill. He was very intelligent, friendly and very funny. We will miss him very much.”
Ritter’s credits also included the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”, “Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince” and the series “Belgravia” and “Cold Feet”. He will be seen in John Madden’s upcoming war drama ‘Operation Mincemeat’, starring Colin Firth. Ritter will also be part of the ‘Friday Night Dinner’ 10-year retrospective, which will appear on Channel 4 later this year.
Knight was also known for his theatrical roles, and was nominated in 2006 for an Olivier for ‘Coram Boy’, as well as a Tony in 2009 for the production of The Norman Conquests in 2008.
Robert Popper, creator of the “Friday Dinner” tweeted: “Destroyed over this horrible sad news. Paul was a sweet, wonderful person. Friendly, funny, super caring and the greatest actor I’ve ever worked with.”
Actor Sanjeev Kohli tweeted: “Paul Ritter was one of the most versatile and brilliant actors to ever breathe. If Paul Ritter had anything, it made it good. That’s terrible news.”