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 바카라Roseanne바카라 and 바카라Arrested Development바카라, has died, his daughter said.
Mull's daughter, TV writer and comic artist Maggie Mull, said her father died at home on Thursday after 바카라a valiant fight against a long illness.바카라
Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera 바카라Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman바카라, and the starring role in its spinoff, 바카라Fernwood Tonight". 바카라He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials,바카라 Maggie Mull said in an Instagram post on Friday.
바카라He 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, and바카라the sign of a truly exceptional person바카라by many, many dogs.바카라
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.
His first foray into show business was as a songwriter, penning the 1970 semi-hit 바카라A Girl Named Johnny Cash바카라 for singer Jane Morgan. He would combine music and comedy in an act that he brought to hip Hollywood clubs in the 1970s.
바카라In 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. 바카라He cast me as the wife beater on 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'. Four months later, I was spun off on my own show.바카라
His time on the Strip was memorialised in the 1973 country rock classic 바카라Lonesome L.A. Cowboy" where the Riders of the Purple Sage give him a shout out along with music luminaries Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge.
바카라I know Kris and Rita and Marty Mull are hangin' at the Troubadour,바카라 the song says. On 바카라Fernwood Tonight바카라 (sometimes styled as 바카라Fernwood 2 Night바카라), he played Barth Gimble, the host of a local talk show in a midwestern town and twin to his 바카라Mary Hartman바카라 character. Fred Willard, a frequent collaborator with very similar comic sensibilities, played his sidekick. It was later revamped as 바카라America 2 Night바카라 and set in Southern California.
He would get to be a real talk show host as a substitute for Johnny Carson on 바카라The Tonight Show."
Mull often played slightly sleazy, somewhat slimy and often smarmy characters as he did as Teri Garr's boss and Michael Keaton's foe in 1983's 바카라Mr. Mom바카라. He played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 movie adaptation of the board game 바카라Clue바카라, which, like many things Mull appeared in, has become a cult classic.
The 1980s also brought what many thought was his best work, 바카라A History of White People in America바카라, a mockumentary that first aired on Cinemax. Mull co-created the show and starred as a 바카라60 Minutes바카라 style investigative reporter investigating all things milquetoast and mundane. Willard was again a co-star.
He wrote and starred in 1988's 바카라Rented Lips" alongside Robert Downey Jr, whose father, Robert Sr, directed.
His co-star Jennifer Tilly said in an X post Friday that Mull was 바카라such a witty charismatic and kind person.바카라 In the 1990s he was best known for his recurring role on several seasons on 바카라Roseanne바카라, in which he played a warmer, less sleazy boss to the title character, an openly gay man whose partner was played by Willard, who died in 2020.
Mull would later play private eye Gene Parmesan on 바카라Arrested Development바카라, a cult-classic character on a cult-classic show, and would be nominated for an Emmy, his first, in 2016 for a guest run on 바카라Veep바카라.
바카라What 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,바카라 Mull told the AP after his nomination. 바카라It might go all the way back to 'Fernwood'.바카라 Other comedians and actors were often his biggest fans.
바카라Martin was the greatest,바카라 바카라Bridesmaids바카라 director Paul Feig said on X. 바카라So 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.바카라
Mull is survived by his daughter and musician Wendy Haas, his wife since 1982.
