Kenric Lowell Reitz (born September 8, 1955) is an American actor, writer, composer, director and producer.

Early life and education

Reitz was born and raised in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, New York. He was the middle of five creative children. Growing up an all-star baseball player in the Rochester suburb of Henrietta, Reitz never wandered far from the arts and music, appearing in his first play as the Polynesian boy, Jerome, in ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

'' with his dad at age 11. He graduated with honors from Rush-Henrietta High School in 1973 and continued to participate in theater while attending

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research ...

(Ohio), where he primarily studied Radio/TV/Film, graduating cum laude in 1977.

Career

Reitz's first professional acting job was in repertory with the Arts Centre Theater Company of Rochester, New York. From the fall of 1977 through the summer of 1979, he performed at both the Arts Centre Theater Co. and the Tic Toc Players theaters out of the Nazareth College Arts Centre in

Pittsford, New York Pittsford is a town in Monroe County, New York. A suburb of Rochester, its population was 30,617 at the time of the 2020 census. The Town of Pittsford (formerly part of the town of Northfield) was settled in 1789 and incorporated in 1796. The ...

, including summer stock stints with the Mendon Playhouse in

Mendon, New York Mendon is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States, and has been ranked as the most affluent suburb of the city of Rochester. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,095. The Town of Mendon is on the southern border of t ...

. Over the following years, Reitz bounced between Rochester, New York City and Los Angeles, as he pursued his acting career, eventually landing in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, Georgia in 1981 with Noel Bagrowski, also from Rochester, who would become his wife that same year. His on-screen resume began with a small role in the television movie ''Case Closed'' and has grown to lead roles in films like: '' The Last of Robin Hood'', with

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards. In addition, he has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five ...

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...

, and

Dakota Fanning Hannah Dakota Fanning (born February 23, 1994) is an American actress. She rose to prominence at the age of seven for her performance as Lucy Dawson in the drama film '' I Am Sam'' (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomin ...

, ''Where The Devil Hides'', with

Colm Meaney Colm J. Meaney (; ga, Colm Ó Maonaigh; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor known for playing Miles O'Brien in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He has guest-starred on many TV ...

and

Rufus Sewell Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in ''Carrington'' (1995), '' ''Hamlet' (1996), '' Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), '' Dark City'' (1998), ''A Knight's Tale ''(2001), '' The ...

, and '' The Loft'', with

Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and TV series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. Since t ...

James Marsden James Paul Marsden (born September 18, 1973) is an American actor, singer, and former model. Marsden began his acting career guest starring in the television shows '' Saved by the Bell: The New Class'' (1993), ''Touched by an Angel'' (1995), '' ...

and

Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian series ''headLand'' (2005–2006). She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films including '' Man-Thing'' (200 ...

. Reitz has also been a recurring character on television series like: ''

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

'', ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliot ...

'' and ''

Surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is t ...

''. He is the current president of

SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA, stylized as SAG·AFTRA ) is an American labor union representing approximately 160,000 film and television actors, journalists, radio personalities, recor ...

Atlanta. Outside of acting for stage and screen as a member of Equity and SAG-AFTRA, Reitz is a member of the DGA, WGA, the Recording Academy, BMI and the

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the television industry in the United States. It is a 501(c)(6) non-prof ...

. He is president of Ric Reitz Writes, Inc., an award-winning writing and production company, and the president/manager of Sir Fir Books & Music, an award-winning children's music and publishing company. Specifically, Reitz was the creator and author of two children's titles: ''The Journey of Sir Douglas Fir: A Reader’s Musical'' and ''Second Chance Christmas: A Symphonic Play.'' Reitz is also a partner at Georgia Entertainment Credits, a former president and board member with the Georgia Production Partnership, and a former member of the Georgia Film Advisory Commission.

Personal life

Reitz married Noel Janet Bagrowski in Rochester, New York on April 24, 1981. They have two children: Shelby Lynn Reitz (Eanes), born April 10, 1985, and Corey Bradford Reitz, born March 20, 1989.

References

External links

Ric Reitz's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reitz, Ric Living people 1955 births Male actors from Rochester, New York American male film actors American male television actors Bowling Green State University alumni