Martin Mull, the inventive comedian known for a string of memorable film roles, has died at age 80.
His death was confirmed on social media by his daughter, writer Maggie Mull, who wrote that he died Thursday "after a valiant fight against a long illness."
"My dad will be missed by his wife and daughter, by his friends and coworkers, by fellow artists and comedians and musicians, and — the sign of a truly exceptional person — by many, many dogs,” she wrote.
Mull’s roles include Colonel Mustard in the 1985 comedy “Clue” and memorable parts in "FM," "Mr. Mom" and "Mrs. Doubtfire."
On television, he hosted the 1970s talk show parody, "Fernwood 2 Night" and later played Leon Carp on “Roseanne." Both roles were alongside his friend, Shaker Heights native Fred Willard. In the 21st century, he played Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development.” Mull also starred in a series produced by friend Steve Martin, the critically acclaimed "Domestic Life.”
He was born in Chicago but moved with his family to North Ridgeville at age 2, staying until age 15, when the family moved to Connecticut. His father was a carpenter and his mother was an actress. During an interview with Ideastream in 2012, he briefly recalled his high school days.
“We had a six-man football team,” he said. “There were not 11 males in the senior class.”
Mull was successful in several different media. He studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and then got his start as a songwriter, penning “A Girl Named Johnny Cash,” which charted on the country charts for Jane Morgan.
In the 1970s, he made his name as a musical comedian on a string of comedy albums. Elvis Costello has credited Mull with the saying, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."
