Martin Mull, the comedic actor, musician and artist who came to prominence in the 1970s on shows such as “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and “Fernwood 2-Night,” and remained active on television and in films for the next half century, has died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 80.
His wife, Wendy Mull, confirmed his death. A cause of death was not given.
In “Mary Hartman,” Mr. Mull played Garth Gimble, a domestic violence perpetrator who met his end when he was impaled on the star atop an aluminum Christmas tree.
He starred in the show’s subsequent spin-off, ‘Fernwood 2-Night’, a talk show parody that aired in 1977. He played talk show host Barth Gimble, Garth Gimble’s twin brother.
“Wearing a nondescript blond mustache that may or may not be intended as a joke, Barth manic-depressively deals with a shaky work situation and some vague accusations about charges pending against him in Florida,” The New York Times wrote in a review in 1977 about the show’s opening week. “Barth will only say that his lawyer thinks he ‘has a pretty good case for a trap.'”
He was also known for his roles in “Clue” (1985) and the television shows “Roseanne” and “Arrested Development.” He also played the character Bob Bradley, an assistant to the main character in the political sitcom “Veep.”
More recently, Mr. Mull appeared in the Fox television series “The cool kids”, about a group of rule-breaking friends who live in a retirement home.
Martin E. Mull was born on August 18, 1943 in Chicago. He received degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design. His work appeared in gallery exhibitions and at the Whitney and Metropolitan Museums.
In an interview with The Times in 2018, he described his approach to his art as “going back and finding old Life and Look magazines, people’s family photos and things like that, and then I collage that, create my own images and paint them then. .”
An extensive obituary will follow.
Alain Delaquériere contributed to research.
