William E. Ritchie was an American trick cyclist who performed around the world, including the United States,[1] England,[1][2] continental Europe,[1][3][4][5][6] Africa,[1] and Australia.
[9] He initially found fame in New York, appearing dressed as a tramp riding on various bicycles.
[11] In London in 1899, he appeared in two short films: Ritchie, Tramp Cyclist, produced by the Warwick Trading Company,[12] and Ritchie the Tramp Cyclist, produced by the British Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
[19] In both 1917 and 1918, he appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies alongside W. C. Fields, Marilyn Miller, Will Rogers and Eddie Cantor.
[7] On 12 May 1943, age 71, he died of a heart attack in his home at 2167 Haviland Avenue in the Bronx.