The best roles of Paul Ritter, from 'Friday Night Dinner' to 'Chernobyl'

In April 2021, actor Paul Ritter passed away from a brain tumour. He was 54 years old. The English actor, born in Kent, appeared for the last time in 'Friday Night Dinner' on May 28, 2021. His last movie, 'Operation Mincemeat', is yet to come out.

Paul Ritter was an above-average actor and much loved by the public for his role in 'Friday Night Dinner.' Beyond that, however, the actor had nearly three decades of excellence in acting behind him.

Ritter drew the attention of an international audience as Anatoly Dyatlov in the limited series 'Chernobyl' (HBO). He stepped into the shoes of the Russian nuclear energy specialist with an unflattering moustache and a physique deteriorating from the atomic radiation with each episode.

As the deputy chief engineer of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Anatoly Dyatlov was one of those responsible for the worst nuclear disaster in history. He served a few years in prison on the charge of disregarding safety guidelines during a test of the plant's installations.

Before Chernobyl, Paul Ritter already had two major roles in his extensive filmography. One of these was as Eldred Worple in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'.

For those who don't remember, Eldred Worple was a wizard and writer who met Harry Potter during Horace Slughorn's Christmas party at Hogwarts. After his introduction to the young wizard, the writer proposed to take on his memoirs, but Harry Potter flatly refused.

Ritter also had a part in one of the best instalments of the James Bond franchise, 'Quantum of Solace'. He played Guy Haines, an advisor to the British Prime Minister who did not come out of his encounter with the secret agent very well.

Also noteworthy is one of his last roles in the miniseries 'Belgravia'. The creators of 'Downtown Abbey' wanted to continue the success of yesteryear with this period piece. Among the tremendous cast was Paul Ritter as Turton, the butler.

However, it was in the theatre that Paul Ritter displayed all his talent. In fact, he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for his role in 'The Norman Conquests'. The work as a whole won the Tony for 'Best Revival of a Play'.

In 2012, he returned to the theatre with 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' at the Royal National Theatre in London. He played Ed Boon, the father of the story's protagonist.

A major role for Paul Ritter on screen was that of Martin Goodman, the head of a Jewish family in 'Friday Night Dinner'.

Between 2011 and 2021, this sitcom ran for six seasons (plus a Christmas special in 2012). All of them featured Paul Ritter as the patriarch of the curious Goodmans. Fans of the show were moved to see some last images of the late actor in this series on May 28.

Ritter's last film, 'Operation Mincemeat,' is set to premiere in 2022. It's a historical drama about the successful intelligence operation that managed to confound the Nazis to no end. Along with Paul Ritter, the cast for this film includes Oscar-winner Colin Firth.

Read also: Christopher Plummer, the best roles of his career