When he died 13 years after his last appearance the audience has forgotten him mostly and he was commemorated by appreciations in newspapers after his death.
Rittner became famous for playing knight and folk hero Florian Geyer in Gerhart Hauptmann's drama of the same name.
In 1930 he acted in his only sound film "Väter und Söhne" (1930). Afterwards he finished his acting career for good.
The well-known German painter Lovis Corinth portrayed him in 1906.
Rudof Rittner became a celebrated stage actor at the beginning of the 20th century.