Actor Martin Mull, Star of ‘Clue’ and ‘Arrested Development,’ Dies at 80

Martin Mull, the humorous musician and actor who started with the 1970s TV series “Fernwood 2 Night” and moved on to feature as Colonel Mustard in “Clue” and “Arrested Development” and “Roseanne,” died Thursday. He was eighty.

His daughter Maggie announced his passing on Instagram, stating, “I am heartbroken to share that my father died at home on June 27th, after bravely battling a long illness.”

He was well-known for succeeding in every creative area possible, as well as for his Red Roof Inn commercial work. He would find that joke amusing.

He was always funny. My father will be greatly missed by his wife and daughter, as well as his friends and coworkers, fellow artists, comedians, and musicians, and—as fits a genuinely extraordinary person—many, numerous pets. “I loved him immensely.”

Mull received a nomination for an Emmy in 2016 for his guest appearance as political staffer Bob Bradley on “Veep.” He most recently appeared as a guest on “The Afterparty,” “Not Dead Yet,” and “Grace and Frankie.”

In 2015, he appeared in the NBC “Community” as George Perry, the father of Gillian Jacobs’ Britta Perry, as well as in the CBS comedy “Life in Pieces.”

Mull played Russell, a pharmacist who uses and distributes narcotics illegally, in “Two and a Half Men” from 2008 until 2013. In the Season 9 premiere episode, he attended Charlie’s funeral. The actor also appeared in “Arrested Development” as Gene Parmesan, a pretty incompetent private detective who frequently appears in strange masks.

Mull was an ongoing regular on Seth MacFarlane’s one-season Fox “Dads,” which starred Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi as the founders of a video-game firm, from 2013 to 2014, as Ribisi’s father.

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In 2008, he appeared in “Law & Order: SVU” as Dr. Gideon Hutton, whose rejection of the presence of AIDS led to his conviction for deliberate negligence in the deaths of many victims.

Mull’s film and television career truly began with his role as talk show host Barth Gimble on the wickedly humorous Norman Lear-created TV series “Fernwood 2 Night,” which was renamed “America Tonight” in 1977 and 1978.

Fred Willard co-starred in the mimicry chat show as Gimble’s dimwitted sidekick Jerry Hubbard. These series were spin-offs of Lear’s groundbreaking soap opera parody “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.”

Willard and Mull reteamed for the 1985 HBO mockumentary “The History of White People in America.”

Mull represented Roseanne’s homosexual employer Leon Carp on her ABC comedy of the same name from 1991 to 1997, and he came back with Willard for a 1995 episode in which the two were featured in what was undoubtedly one of television’s first gay marriages.

Mull was a series regular as Ed Munn on Ellen De Generes’ comedy “The Ellen Show” (not to be connected with the previous “Ellen”), which aired on CBS for 18 episodes in 2001-02.

Between 1997 to 2000, he appeared on “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” as Professor Willard Kraft.

Mull appeared in 425 episodes of the game series “Hollywood Squares” between 1998 and 2004, many of which he played as the center square.

Martin Eugene Mull grew up in Chicago to an actress-director mother and a carpenter father. When he was two years old, his family relocated to North Ridgeville, Ohio, and when he was fifteen, they moved to New Canaan, Connecticut.

He studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting.

Mull began his career in the entertainment industry as a songwriter, composing Jane Morgan’s 1970 country hit “A Girl Named Johnny Cash,” which reached No. 61 on Billboard’s country charts. Soon after, he started his recording career.

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He wrote the theme song for the 1970 series “The 51st State,” and composed the music for the 1971 picture “Jump.”

Mull was best known during the 1970s, particularly in the first of the ten years, as a musical comedian who sang sharp and funny songs both live and in studio recordings.

He performed for Randy Newman, Frank Zappa, and Bruce Springsteen at live shows in the early 1970s.

His self-titled debut album, released in 1972, featured notable artists such as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Levon Helm of The Band, Keith Spring of NRBQ, and Libby Titus. Club website, Mull had “a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single ‘Dueling Tubas.'”

Capricorn Records, based in Georgia, produced his initial albums, being closely associated with the Allman Brothers and other Southern rockers of the time.

In an A.V. Club interview, Mull was asked how a painter became an actor. He replied, “You know, every painter that I know has a day job.” They’re either teaching art at a college, driving a cab, or whatever. And I just happened to get a day job that’s fantastic, entertaining, and pays well for paint.”

I had a music career on the road for about 17 years, performing in bands and such. Now, my wife and I perform in huge halls in Vegas.

There were limos, suites, and the entire works. But I was sick of it. So I decided to try my hand at scripting for television. I had an opportunity to interview Norman Lear, and I was a big fan of “Mary Hartman.” I went in and chatted with him for about an hour.

We had a terrific conversation. And then he said, ‘We don’t need any authors. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I will see you. Six months later, I received a call to come in and read for a part.”

Following his success as Barth Gimble on the syndicated series “Fernwood 2 Night,” he earned one of his few leading parts in the 1980 movie comedy “Serial,” a spoof of life in Marin County.

Mull also appeared in Tony Bill’s “My Bodyguard” in 1980, as the hotel manager father of Chris Makepeace’s protagonist Clifford. In “Mr. Mom” (1983), Michael Keaton plays the stay-at-home father, Teri Garr plays the working mother, and Martin Mull “is the snaky president of the advertising agency, to promote Garr into his own life,” according to Roger Ebert.

Steve Martin and Martin Mull collaborated on creating the comedy “Domestic Life” in which they portrayed a Seattle TV reporter named Mull, and his teenage son who ran profitable enterprises from his room and made loans to his parents.

However, the CBS series completed just ten episodes.

The actor was part of the cast in Robert Altman’s lesser-known, humorous portrayal of high school life, “O.C. and Stiggs” (1985). Mull also played Colonel Mustard in “Clue,” a board game adaption, which is one of his most well-known film appearances.

He also appeared in and wrote the screenplay for “Rented Lips” (1988), directed by Robert Downey Sr.

NBC and ABC cast Mull as the lead actor in “His & Hers” alongside Stephanie Faracy, with the series lasting thirteen episodes in 1990. He also starred in “The Jackie Thomas Show” on ABC, which featured Tom Arnold and ran for eighteen episodes before its end.

The actor began his voiceover career with 1993’s “Family Dog,” an early series by Brad Bird in which he played the main character.

Mull appeared as himself in two episodes of Garry Shandling’s HBO comedy “The Larry Sanders Show” in 1992-1993. He also played a supporting role in Robin Williams’ popular 1993 film “Mrs. Doubtfire.”

Mull, a trained painter, had been practicing his art since the 1970s, and his work had been shown in both group and solo exhibitions.

One of Steve Martin’s paintings, (2008), used as the cover for Martin and Edie Brickell’s album “Love Has Come for You.”

His wife, the former Wendy Haas, whom he married in 1982, his actor and composer self, and their daughter Maggie, a TV writer and producer, survive him.