Martin Mull, the funny comedic actor best known for his roles on “Clue,” “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development,” died Thursday at age 80.
His daughter, Maggie Mull, shared the news on Instagram on Friday, writing: “I am heartbroken to announce that my father passed away at home on June 27th, after a courageous battle with a long illness.”
Maggie, who is a television writer, added: “He was known for excelling in every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing commercials for Red Roof Inn. He thought that joke was funny. He never failed to laugh.”
She added that he will be missed by “his wife and daughter, his friends and co-workers, his fellow artists, actors and musicians, and — a sign of a truly exceptional person — many, many dogs.”
She ended her message by saying: “I loved him very much.”
Mull had his first major acting career playing Garth Gimble in the Norman Lear soap opera parody “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” in 1976, leading to roles in the spin-offs “Fernwood 2 Night” and “America 2 Night.”
He played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 comedy “Clue” and Teri Garr’s boss in “Mr. Mom.” He also began voicing the commercials his daughter mentioned for Red Roof Inn.
His other film credits include “FM,” “Serial,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and the 1996 live-action “101 Dalmatians.”
He went on to play Roseanne’s boss Leon Carp, private investigator Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development” and Principal Willard Kraft on the ABC sitcom “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” He also found time to voice a hippie who is friends with Homer Simpson’s mother in a 1998 episode of “The Simpsons.”
Mull’s first foray into show business was as a songwriter. He wrote the comic strip “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for Jane Morgan; the song peaked at No. 61 on the country charts. As a solo musician, he has opened for headliners as diverse as Randy Newman, Frank Zappa, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
Among those who offered condolences to Maggie Mull on her post was “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Alex Borstein, who wrote: “This is blowing and I send my best wishes to you and your family and I hope your heart is full of love. for him and good memories.
