Michael Ritchie

Career overview

Michael Brunswick Ritchie was an American film director, producer, and writer. He was known for directing films with comical or satirical leanings, such as The Candidate from 1972 and Smile from 1975. In addition to his satirical and comical works, Ritchie scored commercial successes by directing sports films, including Downhill Racer in 1969 and The Bad News Bears in 1976. He also directed comedies, such as Fletch starring Chevy Chase.

Born on November 28, 1938, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Ritchie was the son of Patricia and Benbow Ferguson Ritchie. His family later moved to Berkeley, California, where his father worked as a professor of experimental psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and his mother served as the art and music librarian for the city. Ritchie attended Berkeley High School and was subsequently accepted at Harvard University. During his senior year at Harvard in 1960, he directed the original production of the Arthur.

Ritchie passed away on April 16, 2001, at the age of sixty-two. Throughout his career, he accumulated thirty-eight known credits primarily focused on directing.