‘Roseanne’ actor Martin Mull dies at 80 due to illness
Actor-comedian Martin Mull died at the age of 80 after battling a long illness. He is best known for his roles in ‘Roseanne’ and ‘Arrested Development’.
Martin Mull, whose witty, goofy comedy and acting skills made him a hit in the 1970s and later made him a beloved guest star on sitcoms such as “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” has died, his daughter said Friday.
Mull’s daughter, TV writer and comedian Maggie Mull, said her father died at home Thursday after a “valiant struggle against a long illness.”
Mull, who was also a guitarist and painter, came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-produced satirical sitcom “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and the lead role in its spinoff “Fernwood Tonight.”
“He was known for excellence in every creative discipline and was also known for working on commercials for the Red Roof Inn,” Maggie Mull said in an Instagram post. “He loved that joke. It was never too funny. My dad will be greatly missed by his wife and daughter, his friends and colleagues, fellow actors and comedians and musicians, and — a mark of an extraordinary person — many, many dogs.”
Mull, known for his blond hair and handsome mustache, 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, when he wrote the 1970 semi-hit song “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for singer Jane Morgan.
He blended music and comedy, a show he brought to Hollywood’s popular clubs in the 1970s.
“In 1976 I was performing as a guitarist and comedian at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip when Norman Lear came by and heard me,” Mull told The Associated Press in 1980. “He gave me the role of the wife-beater in ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.’ Four months later I had my own show.”
His time on the Strip was remembered in the 1973 country rock classic ‘Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,’ with the Riders of the Purple Sage paying tribute to him alongside music legends Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge.
The song states, “I know Chris, Rita, and Marty Mull are at the Troubadour.”
In ‘Fernwood Tonight’ (sometimes also known as ‘Fernwood 2 Night’) he played Barth Gimble, the host of a local talk show in a midwestern town and the twin of his ‘Mary Hartman’ character. Fred Willard, a frequent collaborator with very similar comic sensibilities, played his assistant. It was later revamped as ‘America 2 Night’ and set in Southern California.
He became a real talk show host, replacing Johnny Carson on ‘The Tonight Show.’
Mull often played slightly sleazy, somewhat slimy and often cringe-worthy characters, as he did as Terry Garr’s boss and Michael Keaton’s enemy in 1983’s “Mr. Mom.” He also played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 film adaptation of the board game “Clue,” which, like many things Mull played, has become a cult classic.
The 1980s also brought his best work, ‘A History of White People in America,’ a mockumentary that first aired on Cinemax. Mull co-produced the show and starred as a ’60 Minutes’-style investigative reporter who investigates all sorts of mundane and mundane things. Willard was again the co-star.
He wrote and starred in 1988’s “Rented Lips” opposite Robert Downey Jr., which was directed by his father, Robert Sr.
His co-star Jennifer Tilly said in an ex post Friday that Mull was “an incredibly funny, charismatic and kind person.”
He was best known in the 1990s for his recurring role on several seasons of “Roseanne,” in which he played a warmer, less snobbish boss to the title character, an openly gay man whose partner was played by Willard, who died in 2020.
Mull later played private detective Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” a cult-classic character on a cult-classic show, and was nominated for his first Emmy in 2016 for a guest role on “Veep.”
“I’m very proud of what I did on ‘Veep,’ but I would like to think that it’s probably more collective, at my age it’s more collective,” Mull told the AP after his nomination. “It could go to ‘Fernwood.'”
Other comedians and actors were often his biggest fans.
“Martin was the greatest,” ‘Bridesmaids’ director Paul Feig said on X. “Very funny, very talented, very nice guy. I was fortunate to act with him on The Jackie Thomas Show and cherished every moment with a great guy. Fernwood Tonight was very influential in my life.”
Mull is survived by his daughter and musician Wendy Haas, his wife since 1982.
