Dallas Roberts And John Ritter

United States
September 26, 2015 12:42pm CST
I really like the actor Dallas Roberts. He has played in many television series, such as "Unforgettable", "The Walking Dead" and "The Good Wife" among other things. However, I do not think that he is a very well-known actor. John Ritter is an actor who died over a decade ago and yet still remains well-known for his characters. Whenever I see Dallas Roberts, I am always reminded of John Ritter. Today, I decided to look him up, and Wikipedia said that Dallas Roberts is the son of John Ritter and Catherine Roberts. Well that makes perfect sense, especially given the strong resemblance he has to his supposed father. Then, I looked up John Ritter only to find out that Wikipedia lists him as having four children, and none of them is Dallas Roberts. Now, John Ritter has two known sons that are actors, Jason Ritter and Tyler Ritter, and they definitely bear a resemblance to their father. The funny thing is that I think Dallas looks even more like John Ritter than the other two children, although all four people that I have mentioned seem to have a strong family resemblance to each other. So, do you think that Dallas Roberts actually is the son of John Ritter? Don't all four of them look a lot alike? I know that Wikipedia is not the most trustworthy source, but maybe they just forgot to mention Dallas in John's biography? Do you believe what you read, especially if it is on Wikipedia?
22 people like this
17 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
26 Sep 15
Wikipedia can be edited by anybody, and it is not the best source of info available, although it is useful to give a global idea. Because there is a physical resemblance between them does not mean that they are of the same family. According to an interview the father of Dallas Roberts "was a proud Texan, and he wanted his first son to be named Dallas. And then I had a brother a year and a half later, and it was my father’s intention to name him Houston. But my mother put the kibosh on that. He was named Bryan – which, of course, is also a city in Texas." (I give you the link). According to his biography on Imdb, his father was born in Port Artur, Texas and John Ritter was born in Burbank, California...
You might not be able to identify him by name, but chances are good you’ll recognize Houston-born actor Dallas Roberts anyway. Even if you weren’t his classmate at Paul Revere ...
7 people like this
• United States
26 Sep 15
Thank you for that link, and I did read the information. You are right that a similar appearance does not necessarily mean that they are related. On the other hand, the man that raised him and is his father might not necessarily be the one that donated the DNA to make him. I know many people raised by someone that they do not share DNA with yet they have a strong parent/child relationship and the DNA issue is never raised.
3 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
27 Sep 15
@rebelann You may be right : plastic surgery can do a miracle like this one today, and he would not speak about it. If they were parents I think that they would have talked about it. We need to find a fan having a hair strand to do a DNA analysis to be sure.
4 people like this
@rebelann (112995)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Sep 15
So there you have it, we'll never know if there is a kinship tween them cuz why would they care what we think, but I read that as well on IMBD plus I still think with all the plastic surgery done to actors anyone with the correct bone structure could be made to look similar to Ritter. So, what if Tex Ritter had siblings that we don't know about, could be this kid is a cousin unbeknownst to the media.
4 people like this
@much2say (56141)
• Los Angeles, California
27 Sep 15
I tried to snoop around . I think @topffer found a good link. I saw on another article mention how proud his father was of him - mentioning the name Don and his stepmother Peg (I think). It's hard to find anything about his family, but interestingly there's a lot about how similar he is to John Ritter!
7 people like this
• United States
27 Sep 15
I know. I suspect that he is a private person, which is why there is so little about him and his family. There is much more about John Ritter, especially since he has two acknowledged sons that are actors as well. Isn't it weird, though, how similar they look? @rebelann It makes sense that he might be the nephew of John Ritter, and it might just be a strong family resemblance but not necessarily father and son.
6 people like this
@rebelann (112995)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Sep 15
I looked up Tex Ritter, John's dad, and only found rudimentary info, I wonder if John had any aunts or uncles via Tex or his mom.
5 people like this
@rebelann (112995)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Sep 15
John Ritter was born in CA whereas Dallas Roberts dad was born in Port Arthur TX, I think wiki goofed again.
5 people like this
• United States
26 Sep 15
I read that, but I am not convinced. First, did you notice how much they look like each other? Second, although all four of the guys I mentioned look like they are related, the one that looks least related is actually Jason Ritter. Third, Dallas Robert's father (the guy that raised him) could very well have been born in Port Arthur, although I thought it was Dallas that was born in Port Arthur, but that does not necessarily mean that John Ritter did not donate the DNA that made him.
3 people like this
@rebelann (112995)
• El Paso, Texas
26 Sep 15
@purplealabaster It was Dallas who mentioned his father was born and raised in Port Arthur. But let's face it, we'll never know because so many actors have facial augmentations and that could be why they look so much like Ritter.
4 people like this
• United States
27 Sep 15
@rebelann There are a lot of actors that do, but I do not think that Dallas has and I suspect that John didn't either. They both aged naturally (or that is how it appears anyway) over the course of their careers, so either they had really bad plastic surgeons or they didn't have the surgery. On the other hand, they might have had masterful surgeons that allowed them to age naturally but without some of the more obviously negative affects of age.
2 people like this
• United States
7 Oct 15
I would not be surprised purple. He does bear an intense resemblence.
2 people like this
• United States
7 Oct 15
It is not just the physical appearance, either. His mannerisms also are strikingly similar to John's behaviors and facial expressions.
2 people like this
• United States
8 Oct 15
@purplealabaster Yes he has got to be related even if it seems no.
2 people like this
@Freelanzer (10743)
• Canada
26 Sep 15
s they say you can't believe everything you read in Wikipedia.The information comes from people like you and me and they may not always have all the facts. It is quite possible that he is his son though perhaps he didn't acknowledge
4 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
1 Oct 15
@purplealabaster it happens. my dad had a son out of wedlock that he didn't acknowledge till 40 yrs. later !!
2 people like this
• United States
27 Sep 15
I agree that he could be his son but didn't acknowledge him. If he was the biological father, then he would have only been about twenty-one or so when Dallas was born. He was still in college at that point and might not have been ready for the responsibility of parenthood. @rebelann It is entirely possible that he is not related to John Ritter. However, if John did not acknowledge him and he was being raised as the child of somebody else, then he would have no reason to mention Tex as that was not who he would consider is grandfather. Tim McGraw was the son of Tug McGraw, but that fact was not known until Tim was an adult as Tug refused to acknowledge that Tim was his son until much later in life.
4 people like this
@rebelann (112995)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Sep 15
I think it's more likely he is not related to John, if so why didn't they mention his famous grandfather Tex.
3 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
13 Oct 15
I tend to not believe a lot of Wikipedia or at least take it with a grain of salt only because the people who write them are not always people in the know. I can imagine some teen writing just to see if they can get on the site instead of really telling a truth.
2 people like this
• United States
13 Oct 15
@PainsOnSlate I hope that you are enjoying what you are reading. This is admittedly not my best or funniest discussion, but it was something that I was thinking about at the time. They do say that we all have a doppelganger out there somewhere, so perhaps that is the case with John Ritter and Dallas Roberts. I also do not necessarily believe everything that I read on Wikipedia. They are pretty good for giving broad information, which is usually pretty accurate, but the small details are indeed suspect at times.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137702)
• United States
15 Oct 15
LOL! Yep! That is exactly what I picture every time someone "quotes" wiki and I am positive it is wrong!
1 person likes this
• Canada
13 Oct 15
@DaddyEvil gave me a list of friends to check out that he enjoys. So I'm taking his advice.
2 people like this
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
21 Oct 15
I just looked him up on wikipedia and did not see that stated anywhere.. I checked out his IMDB page and it does not mention anything about his parents in the trivia.. I think if he was John Ritter's son it would be listed there.
1 person likes this
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
21 Oct 15
@purplealabaster I believe you.. I love IMDb i have the app on my phone. use it all the time.
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Oct 15
@minx267 LOL - I am glad that you believe me. It does look bad going there and not seeing it, though. I like looking in IMDB for movies that actors and actresses have played in that I might want to watch when things are slow. I have found a couple of good movies doing that.
• United States
21 Oct 15
It was on Wikipedia. I looked it up a minute ago, and apparently somebody removed it. I swear it was there when I wrote this, though. I agree that I would believe it more if it was on IMDB. They do not always have all the facts, but what is listed on there tends to be true ... at least in my experience.
@sofssu (23662)
21 Oct 15
I don't think I have even heard of them before.
2 people like this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
7 Nov 15
I noticed one of John Ritter's sons for the first time when I watched Parenthood. I don't remember which son it was but the resemblance was uncanny.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Nov 15
@simone10 LOL - nope, not the same actor but they are brothers and do look a lot alike. I actually like all four of them, and they all seem to share not only looks but also similar mannerisms.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
19 Nov 15
@purplealabaster That is weird, isn't it? That his sons all look like him and share the same mannerisms.
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
16 Nov 15
@purplealabaster We watched the McCarthy's some and I thought it was the same actor who played in Parenthood...lol. I will have to look up Dallas Roberts.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50545)
• United States
24 Oct 15
I have never heard of Dallas Roberts before. Loved John Ritter.
1 person likes this
• Canada
16 Nov 15
Funny how many look alikes there are in the world. Let us know if you find any solid connections.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Nov 15
Nope, no solid connections. However, I did find that there are a lot of other people that have wondered about the connection as well. I suspect, with so many people wondering, that if there really were a connection, then it would have come to light by now. Then again, Dallas Roberts seems to be a very private person, so maybe we just need to accept whatever he says and leave it at that.
@DaddyEvil (137702)
• United States
15 Oct 15
Wikipedia is notorious for having unverified information and outright fabrications listed in with their factual data... I very rarely believe anything from Wiki that is not verified by my own research using other sources. It is possible that Dallas Roberts is a by-blow. I have not taken the time to research that, because: 1. It is not a subject I am really interested in... sorry, hon. 2. You are not really asking our opinion... You have already made up your mind... or you had it made up when you finished writing your starter information, at least!
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Oct 15
LOL - are you sure that I have made up my mind on the subject? What do you think that I believe?
• United States
16 Oct 15
@DaddyEvil You still haven't told me what you are sure that I believe about the subject.
• United States
25 Oct 15
I'm not sure I'm familiar with Dallas Roberts
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Oct 15
He is (in my opinion) an under-appreciated actor. He looks, sounds, and resembles not only in appearance but also in gestures and facial expressions the actor John Ritter. They apparently are not related, but many people have speculated about them being related as they do so resemble each other.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
27 Oct 15
I don't know any of the actors you mentioned but I always find it fascinating how they are inter-related.
1 person likes this
• United States
27 Oct 15
John Ritter is pretty famous here in the US, but the others are not as famous. It doesn't surprise me that you might not have heard of any of them, though, as John Ritter was most on television versus movies. If he was more of a movie actor, then you probably would be more familiar with his work.
@marguicha (223850)
• Chile
5 Oct 15
I never trust completly anything that is said in any book. There is always the part where the writer decides what to tell and what to omit. I include the Wikipedia on that category.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Oct 15
That is indeed true. Often things are worded or phrased in a way that when read, especially with certain omissions, they appear to be one way when really they may be completely different but not as interesting or sensational as the actual full truth of the matter. I think Wikipedia is a decent source of information from a broad perspective. It might have some facts wrong or might be missing some key elements, but it gives an overall view of a topic. However, like some people have pointed out, it can be edited by anybody, so it is not something that one should use in a research paper or anything like that.
• Preston, England
6 Oct 15
Roberts was good in The Grey, an under-rated horror movie
1 person likes this
• United States
6 Oct 15
I haven't heard of it, but I will have to check it out. I wonder whether or not Netflix would have it. He usually plays the "nice guy", but on "Law and Order: SVU" he played a sociopath, and he did it so well that it was really creepy. He has fantastic range, so I think that seeing him in a horror movie would be interesting. Was he good or evil in the movie?
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (140043)
• Roseburg, Oregon
13 Oct 15
I am not sure who either one of them is.
1 person likes this
• United States
13 Oct 15
Both of them are actors. John Ritter is actually a very well-known comedic actor, so I am surprised that you do not know who he is. John Ritter was also the son of Tex Ritter, who was an old (I believe country) singer.