Chernobyl and Friday Night Dinner actor Paul Ritter has passed away from a brain tumor at the age of 54.
He died at home with his wife Polly and children Noah and Frank at his bedside.
Mr. Ritter was popularly known as Martin Goodman in the Channel 4 sitcom, alongside Tom Rosenthal, Tamsin Greig, and Simon Bird.
The actor was one of the Ukrainian disaster’s villains in the HBO drama Chernobyl.
Mr. Ritter was also in films including Quantum of Solace, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Inferno.
His last role in WWII movie Operational Mincemeat as Bentley Purchase hasn’t yet been released.
Veteran actor Eddie Marson called Mr. Ritter “one of our greatest actors,” while Former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis called him “a wonderful and versatile actor.”
Stephen Mangan also said: “Trying to find a way to talk about Paul Ritter and struggling.
“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.”
Robert Popper, the creator and writer of Friday Night Dinner, paid tribute to Mr. Ritter and described him as “a lovely, lovely guy.”
Speaking to BBC’s Nihal Arthanayake on Radio 5 Live, he said: “No-one ever had a bad word to say about him. He was the greatest actor I have ever worked with.
“But he was just so down to earth. This is a horrible and very sad day.”
A spokesperson for the actor said: “It is with great sadness we can confirm that Paul Ritter passed away on Monday night. He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side.
“He was 54 and had been suffering from a brain tumor.
“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.”
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