Amy Yasbeck

She is the widow of John Ritter.

• Name — Amy Yasbeck • Birthplace — Blue Ash, Ohio, U.S. • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1985–present • Children — 1

Yasbeck was born in Blue Ash, Ohio, the daughter of Dorothy Louise Mary (née Murphy), a homemaker, and John Thomas Yazbeck, a butcher and grocery store owner. Her father was of Lebanese descent, while her mother was of Irish ancestry. As a child, Yasbeck was featured on the package art for the Betty Crocker Easy-Bake Oven. Years later, in 2000, she was presented with a new Easy-Bake Oven on the show I've Got a Secret, for which she was a regular panel member. Yasbeck spent her primary and secondary years at two different Catholic schools: Summit Country Day School and Ursuline Academy. She then enrolled in the theater program at the University of Detroit but did not graduate, leaving to pursue her acting career in New York City in 1983.

Early in her acting career, she appeared in Rockhopper, an unsold television pilot from 1985. Yasbeck has had guest-starring roles in many television shows, including Dallas, Spies, Werewolf, J.J. Starbuck, Magnum, P.I., China Beach, and Murphy Brown. She auditioned for the role of Elaine Benes on Seinfeld. She played Olivia Reed for four months between 1986 and 1987 on the long-running daytime drama Days of Our Lives. She also played the starring role of the mermaid Madison in the Disney television film Splash, Too in 1988 (the role of Madison was originated by Daryl Hannah in the 1984 film Splash). Yasbeck also had starring roles in the sitcoms Wings, Alright Already, and Life on a Stick and in movies such as House II: The Second Story, Pretty Woman, Problem Child, Problem Child 2, and The Mask. She has twice worked with Mel Brooks: in 1993's Robin Hood: Men in Tights and 1995's Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Yasbeck also appeared once on the hit DCOS That's So Raven as the mother of the character Chelsea. The episode originally aired on September 22, 2006. In late 2007, plans surfaced of a potential That's So Raven spin-off featuring Yasbeck and Anneliese van der Pol, who portrayed her daughter, with occasional appearances by Raven-Symoné. The show was scrapped due to van der Pol signing onto a Broadway play, and Yasbeck wanting to take a break from acting to focus on her family. Yasbeck was a contestant on the syndicated version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? in 2010. In 2016, Yasbeck was on a hiatus from acting to focus on her family, but expressed interest in returning later on. In 2025, she was cast in Jonathan Hammond's short film Fireflies in the Dusk.

Yasbeck is the widow of actor John Ritter, with whom she had worked in several projects. She first met him at director Dennis Dugan's house during a read-through of their film Problem Child. Yasbeck and Ritter also starred together in Problem Child 2 (1991) and guest-starred together in an episode of The Cosby Show that aired in 1991. Ritter also guest-starred on Wings as Yasbeck's estranged husband in the season-seven episode "Love Overboard". The couple welcomed a child who transitioned at the age of 18. They married the following year after their child's birth at the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio. On September 11, 2003, Ritter experienced chest pain and extreme nausea while rehearsing for 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics. Initially, Ritter was thought to be suffering a heart attack. At 10:48 that night, Ritter died. The cause of death was later determined to be an aortic dissection stemming from a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Yasbeck gave her blessing to the continuation of the sitcom, as 8 Simple Rules, where it was ultimately decided that Katey Sagal's character would assume the lead role as a widow. Yasbeck appeared on Larry King Live on June 16, 2008, to discuss heart disease. On the September 5, 1990, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, she said that her "great-great-great uncle" Charles Webb Murphy was the owner of the Chicago Cubs during their 1907 and 1908 championships.

After John Ritter's death, Yasbeck filed a $67 million wrongful death lawsuit against Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and several doctors who treated him, alleging they misdiagnosed his condition and contributed to his death. Several of the defendants settled out of court for a total of $14 million, including Providence St. Joseph, which settled for $9.4 million. On March 14, 2008, a jury split 9–3 in favor of two doctors, clearing those physicians of any wrongdoing.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1985 — Rockhopper — Sonia Petrova — Unsold TV pilot • 1986–1987 — Days of Our Lives — Olivia Reed — — • 1987 — Dallas — Mary Elizabeth — 2 episodes • Spies — Margo — Episode: "Right or Wrong" • Werewolf — Deidra — Episode: "Nothing Evil in These Woods" • J.J. Starbuck — Doreen — Episode: "Pilot" • 1987–1988 — Magnum, P.I. — Diana — 4 episodes • 1988 — China Beach — Airplane Stewardess — Episode: "Pilot" • Splash, Too — Madison Bauer — Television film • 1989 — Trenchcoat in Paradise — Nan Thompson — Television film • Murphy Brown — Young Lady in Bar — Episode: "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" • Little White Lies — Vicki — Television film • Generations — Carla — — • 1990 — Midnight Caller — Mary Lou Harper — Episode: "The Hostage Game" • Poochinski — Frannie Reynolds — Unsold TV pilot • 1990, 1993 — Matlock — Model Lauren Chadwick / Cheryl Atkinson — 2 episodes • 1991 — Murder, She Wrote — Connie Canzinaro — Episode: "Family Doctor" • Dillinger — Elaine — Television film • The Cosby Show — Alicia Evans — Episode: "Total Control" • 1992 — Get a Life — Evelyn — Episode: "Girlfriend 2000" • Designing Women — Tiffany — Episode: "A Little Night Music" • Quantum Leap — Frankie Washarskie — Episode: "Stand Up" • 1993 — Street Justice — Nancy — Rpisode: "The Wall" • 1994 — Diagnosis: Murder — Karen Davis — Episode: "The Restless Remains" • Dave's World — Julie — Episode: "The Funeral" • 1994–1997 — Wings — Casey Chappel Davenport — — • 1995 — Platypus Man — Wendy — Episode: "Pilot" • 1996 — Bloodhounds II — Sharon — Television film • Sweet Dreams — Laura Renault — Television film • 1997–1998 — Alright Already — Renee — — • 1998 — Dead Husbands — Betty Lancing — Television film • 1999 — It's Like, You Know... — Karen — Episode: "The Sweet Smell of Success" • 2002 — House Blend — Sally Harper — TV pilot • 2003 — Just Shoot Me! — Skyler — Episode: "For the Last Time, I Do" • 2005 — Life on a Stick — Michelle Lackerson — — • 2006 — That's So Raven — Joni Daniels — Episode: "The Ice Girl Cometh" • 2007 — Shorty McShorts' Shorts — Danielle — Voice, episode: "Flip-Flopped" • 2010 — Hot in Cleveland — Hailey Nash — Episode: "The Sex That Got Away" • 2013 — Bones — Diana Malkin — Episode: "The Archaeologist in the Cocoon" • Modern Family — Lorraine — Episode: "Larry's Wife" • 2015 — Workaholics — Annette — Episode: "Gramps Demamp Is Dead" • 2016 — Pretty Little Liars — Claudia — Episode: "Do Not Disturb"

Amy Yasbeck is recorded as a citizen of United States. Recorded with the occupation actor.