Clint Ritchie

Clinton Charles Augustus Ritchie (August 9, 1938 – January 31, 2009) was an American actor.

Clint Ritchie
Born(1938-08-09)August 9, 1938
Grafton, North Dakota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 2009(2009-01-31) (aged 70)
Roseville, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1950s–2004

Early life

Ritchie was born on a farm near Grafton, North Dakota, to J. C. and Charlotte Ritchie, and his family moved to Washington state when he was seven. Voted "Handsome Harry" by his classmates at Sunnyside High School, he moved to California at the age of 16 where he had a variety of jobs: truck driver, service station attendant, furniture factory worker, bartender (before his age of 19 was found out) and health club manager, before becoming an actor. But the most interesting times of his life were in the Yakima River Valley, where he taught his best friend, Robert Clayton, to ride a horse.[1]

Career

He is best known for his acting role as Clinton "Clint" Buchanan, husband of Victoria "Viki" Lord (played by Erika Slezak) on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live; having originated the character in 1979, portrayed the role through 1998, with recurring stints in 1999, 2003, and 2004.

He was under contract at 20th Century Fox with Tom Selleck and is credited with teaching Selleck how to ride a horse.

He co-starred and guest starred in numerous television Westerns during the 1950s and 1960s, including the 1965 pilot for the long-running Wild, Wild West. He also appeared in the TV series Batman as well as in many films, including First to Fight (1967), The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), Bandolero! (1968), Patton (1970), Joe Kidd (1972), Against a Crooked Sky (1975), Midway (1976), Poco... Little Dog Lost (1977) and A Force of One (1979). In Patton, he had a notable scene as a wounded tank commander who briefs Patton on a fierce night battle. His television movie roles included The Bastard, Centennial and Desperate Women. Later, he would appear on Roseanne as Clint Buchanan with his OLTL costars Robert S. Woods and John Loprieno.

He was critically injured at California ranch on May 10, 1993, when his John Deere tractor upended, knocked him to the ground, and rolled over him. Quoted as saying that he could hear his own ribs cracking, he survived and returned to the One Life to Live set after recuperating. His co-star Erika Slezak fought not to have his role recast by another actor. His character, Clint Buchanan, was written off temporarily as having been in an airplane crash while Ritchie recuperated.

Later life

Ritchie retired in December 1998, and said that he believed the character of Clint had been damaged during the 1992 Viki-Clint-Sloan Carpenter love triangle story.[2] He lived at his 60-acre (240,000 m2) California ranch, with his numerous dogs and cats, and 43 horses.[3] He purchased the ranch, named the Happy Horse Ranch, in 1980 largely due to its location near Grass Valley, which is located near the site of the annual Tevis Cup 100-mile endurance horse race. His character on One Life to Live had a ranch in Arizona with the same name, and several of Ritchie's horses had been used on the show.[4]

Death

In late January 2009, Ritchie had surgery to implant a pacemaker. Although the surgery was a success, a blood clot traveled to his brain, resulting in a massive stroke. He died a few days later about 4:00 a.m. on January 31, 2009, aged 70. His friend and costar Phil Carey, who played his father on One Life to Live, died of lung cancer six days after Ritchie's death.[1] Ritchie was cremated.[5]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1966Alvarez KellyUnion Lt.
1967First to FightSgt. Slater
1967The Reluctant AstronautOfficerUncredited
1967The St. Valentine's Day MassacreJack McGurn
1968Bandolero!Babe Jenkins
1970PattonTank Captain
1971The Peace KillersRebel
1972Joe KiddCalvin
1975Against a Crooked SkyJohn Sutter
1976MidwayLt. Cmdr. Charles FentonUncredited
1976Treasure of MatecumbeFlatboat Leader
1977Poco... Little Dog LostMr. McKinna
1979A Force of OneMelrose

References
  1. "Clint's Biography". ClintRitchie.com. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  2. "Ask Clint: Winter 1998-99". The Official Clint Ritchie Page. February 8, 2009.
  3. Clint Ritchie Official Website
  4. Internet Movie Database
  5. Wilson, Scott (2016-08-19). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. ISBN 9781476625997.
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