Biography
Michael Ritchie was an American film director. Born on 28 November 1938 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he died on 16 April 2001 in New York.
Ritchie attended Harvard University, where he directed the original 1960 production of Arthur Kopit's play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad. He began his career in television, directing episodes of series including Profiles in Courage, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Dr. Kildare, before making his feature debut with Downhill Racer (1969).
His notable films include the political satire The Candidate (1972), the sports comedy The Bad News Bears (1976), the comedy Fletch (1985) starring Chevy Chase, and The Golden Child (1986). He also directed Fletch Lives (1989) and Wildcats (1986).
