Actor Martin Mull has died, he was 80 years old. The actor is best known for his portrayal of Leon Carp on the television series Roseanne.
Mull began his career as a musical comedian in the 1970’s. He supported big names including Randy Newman, Sandy Denny, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
The comment “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” has been attributed to Mull.
In the late 1970s he began appearing as an actor on television, notably on the absurdist soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman where he played a character named Garth Gimble. This led to him playing Barth Bimble, the twin brother of his character on spin-off shows Fernwod 2 Night and America 2 Night.
He’s best known for playing Leon Carp, Roseanne’s gay boss, and later business partner on the comedy series led by Roseanne Barr.
He first appeared during the show’s third season, and he remained a constant fixture until the show’s ninth season. He did not return for the show’s revival in 2018, or appear in the spin-off series The Connors.
He later had a memorable appearance as Gene Parmesan on the series Arrested Development and Bob Bradley on Veep, the later saw him receive a 2016 Emmy nomination.
Outside of acting and music he was also an artist, his works have been used for book and record covers.
Mull was married and divorced twice. He is survived by his daughter who is a television producer. He passed away at his home in Los Angeles on 27th June after a long illness.
