As reported by Associated Press, actor Paul Ritter – best known by American audiences for playing the awkward and impatient nuclear engineer Anatoly Dyatlov on HBOs Chernobyl and the wizard Eldred Worple in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince– Died of a brain tumor. He was 54.
In England, Ritter may have been better recognized for his work on the comedy series Friday night Dinner, on which he played Martin Goodman, the patriarch of a Jewish family living in North London who would derail their weekly Friday meal by mad chopping. In a statement, Friday night Dinner creator Robert Popper referred to Ritter as a ‘sweet, wonderful man’, adding that he was ‘friendly’, funny, super caring, and the greatest actor I’ve ever worked with. ”
Ritter left an unmistakable impression on HBOs Chernobyl, even under its starring cast. His character, the decisive Dyatlov, was portrayed as the man largely responsible for the Chernobyl disaster after ignoring warning signs, and he has the limited series’ overarching themes of leadership failures and the defense of an ideology above the defense of people. effectively embodied. Chernobyl Author Craig Mazin also shared a statement about Ritter, calling him ‘one of the gentlest, most gracious, and most brilliant people’ he has ever known.
Paul Ritter is survived by his wife and sons.