American actor and comedian Martin Mull, known for his roles in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Roseanne,” has passed away at the age of 80.
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Mull died on Thursday, June 27 2024 at his home after a “valiant fight against a long illness,” his daughter, Maggie Mull, announced on social media.
In a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, Maggie Mull highlighted her father’s diverse talents and his humor, mentioning his work in Red Roof Inn commercials. “He would find that joke funny,” she added. “He was never not funny.”
Martin Mull’s career took off in 1976 with his role as Garth Gimble on the soap opera spoof “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” This led to additional spin-off roles, including in the series “Fernwood 2 Night.”
He gained further recognition in the 1985 comedy film “Clue,” where he played the character of Colonel Mustard.
Throughout the 1990s, Mull became a familiar face on television, notably playing Leon Carp, Roseanne’s boss, on “Roseanne,” and Principal Willard Kraft on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”
He also played the bumbling private detective Gene Parmesan on the critically acclaimed sitcom “Arrested Development.”
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Mull’s extensive television career included guest appearances on well-known shows like “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Golden Girls,” and “Two and a Half Men.”
In 2016, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in HBO’s political satire “Veep.”
Born in Chicago to an actress and a carpenter, Mull began his career as a songwriter and musical comedian, opening for artists such as Frank Zappa and Bruce Springsteen in the early 1970s.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1965 and pursued painting alongside his entertainment career.
Reflecting on his acting career in a 2013 interview with the A.V. Club, Mull remarked, “Every painter I know has a day job. They’re either teaching art at some college or driving a cab.
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 is survived by his daughter Maggie, a TV writer, and his wife Wendy Haas, an actor and composer whom he married in 1982.
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