Martin Mull, comic and actor known for 'Clue,' 'Roseanne' and more, dead at 80
Martin Mull, comic and actor known for 'Clue,' 'Roseanne' and more, dead at 80
His TV roles also included "Fernwood 2 Night" and "Arrested Development."
ByChristopher Watson
June 28, 2024, 10:57 PM
Martin Mull, the comic, actor and musician best known for roles in "Roseanne," "Clue," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and many others, has died at age 80, according to his daughter.
"I am heartbroken to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th, after a valiant fight against a long illness," Maggie Mull wrote on her Instagram. "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."
His rep, Jennifer Craig, confirmed to ABC News Mull's death, "Yes this is sadly true."
Martin Mull attends The Paley Center For Media's 2018 PaleyFest Fall TV Preview at The Paley Center for Media on September 13, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.Harmony Gerber/FilmMagic/Getty Images
In a career that spanned six decades, Mull was a familiar face in a wide variety of roles but specialized in playing egotistical or otherwise insufferable characters unaware of their own shortcomings. His pretentious talk show host Barth Gimble in the short-lived but cult favorite 1977 talk show satire "Fernwood 2 Night," with Fred Willard playing his sidekick, introduced Mull and his comedic sensibility to America.
Mull worked steadily from that point forward, appearing in nearly 40 films and more than 50 TV series. He had a seven-season recurring role on "Roseanne" as Roseanne's business partner, Leon Carp, and played the overbearing Principal Kraft for three seasons of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Mull also made notable appearances on shows including "Arrested Development," "Two and a Half Men," "Community" and many others, and was Emmy nominated for his role as political aide Bob Bradley on HBO's "Veep."
In film, Mull's memorable roles included "Mr. Mom," as the supercilious boss of Terri Garr's character, and is credited with coming up with the movie's oft-quoted "220, 221, whatever it takes" line. He also played Colonel Mustard in the fan-favorite 1985 comedy "Clue," and Justin Gregory in the Robin Williams 1993 movie smash "Mrs. Doubtfire."
Mull was also a singer, songwriter and musician, and was known for performing humorous songs during his stand-up sets. He also released eleven albums of mostly humorous music, all but one of them in the 1970s. He was popular enough to open for mainstream music acts of the day, including Randy Newman, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and others.
Off-screen, Mull was a lifelong painter, having earned a master's degree in painting in the late 1960s, prior to embarking on his performance career. His work was exhibited and sold in galleries around the country throughout his life.
Mull was married twice and had one child, a daughter.