Charles Kimbrough, best known for playing uptight news anchor Jim Dial on “Murphy Brown”, has died at age 86.
According to the New York Times, the actor’s death was confirmed by his son, John Kimbrough.
Kimbrough had spent the first few decades of his career onstage in New York — which included a Tony nomination for his role in the 1970 Broadway production of “Company” — when he was cast in “Murphy Brown”.
While Kimbrough had appeared in various TV guest spots, “Murphy Brown” marked his first time a series regular; he remained a member of the cast throughout the hit sitcom’s 10-season run, and briefly appeared in the 2018 reboot.
In “Murphy Brown” and his other projects, Kimbrough was typically cast as a stiff, buttoned-up character, something he addressed in a 2012 interview with the Wall Street Journal.
“Unfortunately, I’m really good at playing jackasses of one kind or another. I’ve always been slightly self-conscious as an actor, and I guess that sometimes reads as pomposity,” he said.
“Starting when I was 30, I somehow gave off an impression at an audition that had them mentally put me in a three-piece suit or put an attaché case in my hand,” he added. “If there was a stiff-guy part, the director would brighten up when I came in. That wasn’t the response I wanted. I was in anguish.”
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In addition to “Murphy Brown”, Kimbrough’s screen credits include such TV series as “Kojak” and “Ally McBeal”, and such films as “The Wedding Planner” and Disney’s animated “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (in which Kimbrough voiced Victor, one of three sentient gargoyles).
Despite his television success, the stage remained Kimbrough’s first love; among the many Broadway productions in which he appeared were the 2012 revival of “Harvey”, Al Pacino’s 2010 production of “The Merchant of Venice”, “Sunday in the Park with George” (in both the 1984 production and the 1994 revival), and many others.
Kimbrough was married to actress Beth Howland, who played flighty waitress Vera Gorman on “Alice”, from 2002 until her death in 2015.
