His daughter Maggie announced his death on Instagram, saying, “I am heartbroken to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th after bravely fighting a long illness. He was known for being talented in many creative areas and for doing Red Roof Inn commercials. He would have found that joke funny because he was always funny. My dad will be deeply missed by his wife, daughter, friends, coworkers, fellow artists, comedians, musicians, and many dogs. I loved him very much.”
Mull was nominated for an Emmy in 2016 for his guest role as political aide Bob Bradley in "Veep." More recently, he made guest appearances on "The Afterparty," "Not Dead Yet," and "Grace and Frankie."
In 2015, he appeared as George Perry, the father of Gillian Jacobs' character Britta Perry, on the NBC comedy "Community," and also appeared on the CBS comedy "Life in Pieces."
From 2008 to 2013, Mull had a recurring role on "Two and a Half Men" as Russell, a pharmacist who illegally uses and sells drugs and attends Charlie’s funeral in the Season 9 premiere. He also had a recurring role on "Arrested Development" as Gene Parmesan, a bumbling private investigator known for his silly disguises.
In 2013-14, Mull was a regular on Seth MacFarlane’s Fox comedy “Dads,” which lasted one season. He played the father of Giovanni Ribisi’s character, who, along with Seth Green’s character, owns a video game company.
In 2008, he appeared on "Law & Order: SVU" as Dr. Gideon Hutton, who was convicted of willful negligence for denying the existence of AIDS, leading to several deaths.
Mull's film and TV career started with his role as talk show host Barth Gimble on the satirical TV series “Fernwood 2 Night” in 1977 and 1978. The show, later renamed “America Tonight,” featured Fred Willard as Gimble’s dimwitted sidekick, Jerry Hubbard. These shows were spin-offs from Norman Lear’s parody soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.”
Willard and Mull worked together again on the 1985 HBO mockumentary “The History of White People in America.” Mull played Roseanne’s gay boss Leon Carp on her ABC sitcom from 1991-97. They reunited for a 1995 episode of "Roseanne," featuring one of TV’s first gay weddings.
On “The Ellen Show,” which aired for 18 episodes on CBS in 2001-02, Mull was a regular, playing Ed Munn. He also had a recurring role on “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” as Principal Willard Kraft from 1997-2000.
From 1998 to 2004, Mull was a regular on the game show "Hollywood Squares," appearing in 425 episodes, often as the center square.
Martin Eugene Mull was born in Chicago. His mother was an actress and director, and his father worked as a carpenter. When Martin was 2 years old, the family relocated to North Ridgeville, Ohio, and when he was 15, they moved again to New Canaan, Connecticut. He studied painting and earned both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Mull started his career in show business as a songwriter, not as an actor or comedian. He wrote the country song "A Girl Named Johnny Cash," performed by Jane Morgan in 1970, which reached No. 61 on Billboard’s country charts. Afterward, he began his own music career.
He wrote the theme song for the TV series "The 51st State" in 1970, and he served as the music producer for the 1971 film "Jump."
During the 1970s, particularly in the first half of the decade, Mull gained fame as a musical comedian. He performed funny and satirical songs in live shows and studio recordings. He also had the opportunity to open for Randy Newman, Frank Zappa, and Bruce Springsteen at different live performances in the early '70s.
Martin Mull released his debut self-titled album in 1972, featuring notable musicians like Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Levon Helm of The Band, Keith Spring from NRBQ, and Libby Titus. His other albums included titles like “Martin Mull and His Fabulous Furniture in Your Living Room” (1973), “Normal” (1974), “Days of Wine and Neuroses” (1975), “No Hits, Four Errors: The Best of Martin Mull” (1977), “Sex and Violins” (1978), and “I’m Everyone I’ve Ever Loved.” One of his singles, “Dueling Tubas,” even made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Mull recorded his early albums for Capricorn Records, a Georgia-based label known for its association with Southern rock bands like the Allman Brothers.
In an interview with the A.V. Club, Mull was asked how he transitioned from painting to acting. He replied, “Most painters I know have other jobs, like teaching or driving a cab. I was fortunate to find a day job that's amazing, enjoyable, and pays well enough to support my painting.”
Regarding his acting career, Mull had been on the road with musical bands for around 17 years. Eventually, he and his wife were performing in Las Vegas, which was quite glamorous with limousines and suites. However, he grew tired of this lifestyle. Wanting a change, he decided to try writing for television. He had an opportunity to meet Norman Lear, the creator of "Mary Hartman," whom he greatly admired. They had a good hour-long conversation, but Lear initially said they didn't need writers. About six months later, Mull unexpectedly received a call to audition for a role.
Following his success on "Fernwood 2 Night," where he played Barth Gimble, Mull took on one of his main roles in the 1980 comedy film "Serial," which satirized life in Marin County.
In 1980, Mull played a supporting role in Tony Bill’s film “My Bodyguard” as the hotel-manager father of Chris Makepeace's character Clifford. In the 1983 movie "Mr. Mom," Michael Keaton portrayed the stay-at-home dad while Teri Garr played the working mother. Mull's role was as the cunning president of the advertising agency who had ambitions involving Garr's character, as described by Roger Ebert.
In 1984, Steve Martin and Martin Mull collaborated to create the sitcom "Domestic Life." Mull starred as a TV commentator in Seattle, where his teenage son runs lucrative businesses from his room and even loans money to his parents. However, the series aired for only 10 episodes on CBS.
In 1985, Mull appeared in Robert Altman’s satirical film "O.C. and Stiggs," which focused on the lives of high school boys. That same year, he portrayed Colonel Mustard in "Clue," a movie based on the popular board game. These roles are among those for which he is most remembered.
He both starred in and wrote the screenplay for another lesser-known film titled "Rented Lips," which was directed by Robert Downey Sr.
Mull attempted another shot at regular television with NBC’s “His & Hers,” where he starred alongside Stephanie Faracy, but the show ended after 13 episodes in 1990. He also appeared on “The Jackie Thomas Show” in 1992, starring Tom Arnold, which was canceled by ABC after 18 episodes.
In 1993, Mull started doing voiceovers, beginning with the show "Family Dog," which was created by Brad Bird, where he voiced the main character.
Mull made guest appearances as himself on two episodes of Garry Shandling’s HBO series “The Larry Sanders Show” in 1992-93. He also had a supporting role in Robin Williams’ popular 1993 film “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
Although trained as a painter, Mull pursued his art since the 1970s, showcasing his work in both solo and group exhibitions. One of his paintings titled "After Dinner Drinks" (2008), owned by Steve Martin, was selected as the cover art for the album "Love Has Come for You" by Martin and Edie Brickell.
He is survived by his wife, Wendy Haas, whom he married in 1982. Wendy is an actor and composer. He is also survived by his daughter Maggie, who works as a TV writer and producer.
SOURCE: NBC News