Current:Home > MyMartin Mull, hip comic and actor from ‘Fernwood Tonight’ and ‘Roseanne,’ dies at 80 -VisionFunds
Martin Mull, hip comic and actor from ‘Fernwood Tonight’ and ‘Roseanne,’ dies at 80
View
Date:2025-04-13 07:55:41
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Martin Mull, whose droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” has died, his daughter said Friday.
Mull’s Daughter, TV writer and comic artist Maggie Mull, said her father died at home on Thursday after “a valiant fight against a long illness.”
Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and the starring role in its spinoff, “Fernwood Tonight,” on which he played Barth Gimble, the host of a satirical talk show.
“He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials,” Maggie Mull said in an Instagram post. “He would find that joke funny. He was never not funny. My dad will be deeply missed by his wife and daughter, by his friends and coworkers, by fellow artists and comedians and musicians, and—the sign of a truly exceptional person—by many, many dogs.”
Known for his blonde hair and well-trimmed mustache, Mull was born in Chicago, raised in Ohio and Connecticut and studied art in Rhode Island and Rome. He combined his music and comedy in hip Hollywood clubs in the 1970s.
“In 1976 I was a guitar player and sit-down comic appearing at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip when Norman Lear walked in and heard me,” Mull told The Associated Press in 1980. “He cast me as the wife beater on ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.’ Four months later I was spun off on my own show.”
In the 1980s he appeared in films including “Mr. Mom” and “Clue,” and in the 1990s had a recurring role on “Roseanne.”
He would later play private eye Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” and would be nominated for an Emmy in 2016 for a guest turn on “Veep.”
“What I did on ‘Veep’ I’m very proud of, but I’d like to think it’s probably more collective, at my age it’s more collective,” Mull told the AP after his nomination. “It might go all the way back to ‘Fernwood.’”
Other comedians and actors were often his biggest fans.
“Martin was the greatest,” “Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig said in an X post. “So funny, so talented, such a nice guy. Was lucky enough to act with him on The Jackie Thomas Show and treasured every moment being with a legend. Fernwood Tonight was so influential in my life.”
veryGood! (284)
Related
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Co-worker: Rex Heuermann once unnerved her by tracking her down on a cruise: I told you I could find you anywhere
- 5 people shot, including 2 juveniles, in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood
- Chevron says Australian LNG plant is back to full production after 3 days at 80% output
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. The school says it wasn’t discrimination
- Turkey’s President Erdogan and Elon Musk discuss establishing a Tesla car factory in Turkey
- Military searches near South Carolina lakes for fighter jet whose pilot safely ejected
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- CBS News Biden-Trump poll finds concerns about Biden finishing a second term, and voters' finances also weigh on Biden
Ranking
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Military searches near South Carolina lakes for fighter jet whose pilot safely ejected
- CBS News Biden-Trump poll finds concerns about Biden finishing a second term, and voters' finances also weigh on Biden
- The Red Cross: Badly needed food, medicine shipped to Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 2 years ago, the Taliban banned girls from school. It’s a worsening crisis for all Afghans
- Bodies of 5 Greek military personnel killed in Libya flooding rescue effort are flown home
- Australia tells dating apps to improve safety standards to protect users from sexual violence
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Irish Grinstead, member of R&B girl group 702, dies at 43: 'Bright as the stars'
Praise be! 'The Nun 2' holds box office top spot in second week with $14.7M
Republicans propose spending $614M in public funds on Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium upgrades
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. The school says it wasn’t discrimination
Gator with missing upper jaw finds new home in Florida reptile park
Blue Zones: Unlocking the secrets to living longer, healthier lives | 5 Things podcast