Grammy, Emmy-Nominated Actor and Comedian Dies at 80

Martin Mull, the comedic actor greatest recognized for his roles on Fernwood 2 Night time and Roseanne, died on Thursday, June 27. He was 80. Mull had a protracted and energetic profession and acquired each a Grammy nomination and a Primetime Emmy nod.

His daughter, TV author and producer Maggie Mull (Household Man) shared the information of his loss of life on Instagram.

“He was recognized for excelling at each inventive self-discipline conceivable and likewise for doing Purple Roof Inn commercials,” she wrote. “He would discover that joke humorous. He was by no means not humorous. My dad can be deeply missed by his spouse and daughter, by his buddies and coworkers, by fellow artists and comedians and musicians, and — the signal of a really distinctive particular person — by many, many canine.”

Mull was born in Chicago on Aug. 18, 1943. He moved together with his household to North Ridgeville, Ohio when he was two. They lived there till he was 15, when his household moved to New Canaan, Connecticut.

Mull had his first style of success as a songwriter. He wrote the novelty track “A Woman Named Johnny Money,” a solution track to Shel Silverstein’s “A Boy Named Sue,” which was a 1969 crossover smash for Johnny Money. Singer Jane Morgan recorded Mull’s track and took it to No. 61 on Billboard’s Scorching Nation Songs chart in 1970. She carried out the track on The Ed Sullivan Present, then nearing the tip of its long term.

Mull had a minor hit on the Billboard Scorching 100 as an artist in 1973, “Dueling Tubas,” a parody of “Dueling Banjos,” which was featured within the 1972 film Deliverance. Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell’s instrumental smash “Dueling Banjos” logged 4 weeks at No. 2; “Dueling Tubas” reached No. 92.

Mull additionally launched a collection of comedy albums within the ’70s. His self-titled debut album, launched on Capricorn in 1972, featured such well-known musicians as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Libby Titus, Levon Helm from The Band and Keith Spring from NRBQ.

Two of Mull’s comedy albums made the Billboard 200 — I’m Everybody I’ve Ever Liked (1977) and Intercourse & Violins (1978). The latter album acquired a Grammy nomination for greatest comedy recording, however misplaced to Steve Martin’s A Wild and Loopy Man. Each of Mull’s Billboard 200 albums had been launched on ABC Information. He additionally bubbled below the chart with albums launched on Capricorn and Elektra.

Within the early-to-mid Nineteen Seventies, earlier than his profession as an actor actually took off, Mull was principally often known as a musical comic, performing satirical and humorous songs. He usually carried out seated, in a cushty lounge set, which led to him referring to himself as a “sit-down comedian.” He opened in live performance for such high music stars as Randy Newman and Sandy Denny, Frank Zappa, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.

He carried out at high golf equipment such because the Roxy and the Troubadour in Los Angeles. New Riders of the Purple Sage gave him (and then-couple Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge and the country-rock band Pleasure of Cooking) a shout-out within the nation ballad “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,” which appeared on the band’s 1973 album The Adventures of Panama Purple (which went gold): “Nicely, I do know Kris and Rita and Marty Mull are assembly on the Troubadour/We’ll get it on with the Pleasure of Cooking whereas the gang cries out for extra.”

Mull’s life modified in 1976 when some of the highly effective producers in TV historical past caught his act. “In 1976, I used to be a guitar participant and sit-down comedian showing on the Roxy on the Sundown Strip when Norman Lear walked in and heard me,” Mull advised the Related Press in 1980. That led to Mull’s breakout performing function as Garth Gimble in Lear’s 1976 cleaning soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. He additionally starred within the spin-off speak present parodies Fernwood 2 Night time (1977) and America 2 Night time (1978). On the latter two exhibits, he performed speak present host Barth Gimble (Garth’s twin brother) reverse Fred Willard, who performed sidekick and announcer Jerry Hubbard.

Mull appeared in 49 episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, 44 episodes of Fernwood 2 Night time and 65 episodes of America 2-Night time. In a case of life imitating artwork, Mull would get to be an actual talk-show host when he crammed in for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Present Starring Johnny Carson.

Mull appeared in two extra long-running TV collection. He performed Roseanne Barr’s homosexual boss (and later enterprise accomplice), Leon Carp, on 46 episodes of her smash sitcom Roseanne (1991-97). His sexual orientation was handled matter-of-factly. That was groundbreaking on TV on the time, when homosexual characters hardly ever appeared in any respect. Mull was additionally a inventive guide on the fourth season of Roseanne and wrote the episode “Tolerate Thy Neighbor.” His accomplice on Roseanne was performed by Willard (who died in 2020).

He performed the nosy Principal Willard Kraft on 39 episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1997-2000).

Mull additionally appeared as a voice actor on quite a few episodes of Household Canine, Teamo Supremo, Danny Phenom and American Dad!

Mull acquired a Primetime Emmy nomination for excellent visitor actor in a comedy collection in 2016 for taking part in Bob Bradley on HBO’s Veep. Given his lengthy profession in TV, the nomination was overdue and probably given in recognition of a lifetime of strong work.

That was how Mull noticed it, too. “What I did on Veep I’m very pleased with, however I’d wish to suppose it’s in all probability extra collective, at my age it’s extra collective,” he advised the AP after his nomination. “It’d go all the way in which again to Fernwood.”

Mull made his movie debut in FM, a 1978 movie about an FM radio station. He performed the libidinous DJ Eric Swan. The FM soundtrack album, that includes most of the high rock stars of the period, rose to No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Mull went on to play Teri Garr’s boss Ron Richardson in 1983’s Mr. Mother; Colonel Mustard within the 1985 comedy Clue; and Justin Gregory in 1993’s Mrs. Doubtfire, to quote three of his most profitable movies.

He additionally starred in commercials for Michelob and Pizza Hut, and in a collection of tv and radio spots for Purple Roof Inn with his previous pal and co-star Fred Willard. (Therefore his daughter’s affectionate jibe above.)

Mull started portray within the Nineteen Seventies. Certainly one of his work, titled After Dinner Drinks (2008), is owned by Steve Martin. Martin used it as the duvet of Love Has Come for You, an album he recorded with Edie Brickell that acquired a Grammy nod for greatest Americana album.

Twice divorced, Mull was married to singer Wendy Haas. Mull died at his Los Angeles dwelling following what his household described as “a valiant battle towards a protracted sickness.”

As phrase of his loss of life unfold over the weekend, many comedy greats paid tribute. “Martin was the best,” Bridesmaids director Paul Feig wrote on X (previously Twitter). “So humorous, so gifted, such a pleasant man.”