The cast of ‘Rosanne’. Photo: ABC.
Preview:
- Actor and musician Martin Mull has died.
- He was known for movies such as ‘Clue’ and ‘Mr. Mom’.
- His daughter Maggie paid tribute.
Martin Mull, an actor, comedian and musician who brought deadpan delivery and wit to every project he appeared in, has died. He was 80.
Following a long illness, Mull died on Thursday.
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Martin Mull: Early Life and Career
(L to R) Frank De Vol, Martin Mull and Fred Willard in ‘Fernwood 2 Night’. Photo: T.A.T. Communications Company.
Born in Chicago in 1943 and raised in Ohio and Connecticut, Mull’s artistic journey began with painting. He earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.
While funding his art studies, Mull discovered his talents for music and comedy. He formed bands, wrote songs (including a country tune titled “A Girl Named Johnny Cash”), and explored stand-up.
His dry wit and low-key delivery, often paired with a deadpan facade, became his signature style. This unique blend of humor landed him a record deal and several Grammy nominations for his comedy albums.
Mull’s big break on television came in the 1970s with the cult classic satirical soap ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’ a satirical soap opera as Garth Gimble, a hilariously volatile husband who met a comedically gruesome demise.
This role led to the spin-off talk show parody ‘Fernwood 2 Night,’ further solidifying Mull’s reputation for absurdist humor.
Fernwood 2 Night was a comedic television program that ran from July 1977 – September 1977. It was created by Norman Lear and produced by Alan Thicke as a spin-off/summer… Read the Plot
Martin Mull: Movie Work
(L to R) Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd and Lesley Ann Warren in ‘Clue’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Throughout his career, Mull appeared in numerous shows and movies.
He played Colonel Mustard in the cult favorite ‘Clue,’ Leon Carp on ‘Roseanne,’ and the eccentric art teacher Willard Kraft on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’.
Other movies included ‘Mr. Mom’, ‘Jingle All the Way’, ‘Killers’, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and ‘A Futile and Stupid Gesture‘.
His TV career was even more prolific and eclectic, including ‘The Afterparty’, ‘Grace and Frankie’, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’, ‘Veep’, and ‘The Ellen Show’.
Most memorably, he brought quirkiness to recurring roles on ‘Two and a Half Men’ and the critically acclaimed ‘Arrested Development’, where he played the unforgettable Gene Parmesan.
“Someone had to get the family back together.”
80
5 SeasonsNovember 2nd, 2003
Yet despite his busy schedule, he still found time for his true passion, as he amusingly explained to The A.V. Club:
“I’ve been painting all along. All of this has been a way to try to put paint on my table. You know, every painter I know has a day job. They’re either teaching art at some college or driving a cab or whatever. And I just happened to luck into a day job that’s extraordinary and a lot of fun and buys a lot of paint.”
Martin Mull: Family
Martin Mull in ‘The History of White People in America’. Photo: HBO.
Mull was married twice before meeting and marrying Wendy Haas in 1982. They have a daughter, TV writer Maggie.
Maggie announced his death on Instagram:
“I am heartbroken to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th, after a valiant fight against a long illness. He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials. 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. I loved him tremendously.”
Martin Mull in ‘The History of White People in America’. Photo: HBO.