Martin Mahr, known for his work on TV shows like “Arrested Development” and “Roseanne” and films like 1985’s “Crew” and 1983’s “Mr. Mom,” has died. He was 80 years old.
Mahr’s daughter said he died at home on Thursday “after a long illness.”
Merle, a guitarist and painter, gained national fame as a regular on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and as the lead talk show host Bass Gimble on its spinoff, “Fernwood Tonight.”
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Martin Mahr, known for his work on TV shows like “Arrested Development” and “Roseanne” and films like the 1985 film “Crew,” has died. He was 80 years old. (Getty)
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“My dad was known for excelling in every creative field imaginable, including a commercial for Red Roof Inn,” his daughter, Maggie Mull, a television writer, said in an Instagram post. “He would have thought those jokes were funny, and there was never a time when he wasn’t. He will be deeply missed by his wife and daughters, friends and colleagues, fellow artists, comedians, musicians, and, as a testament to the truly amazing man he was, his many dogs.”
Roseanne Barr, Fred Willard and Merle from “Roseanne.”
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“Simpsons” actor Harry Shearer posted on social media: “It took me a while to process that Martin Mahr has passed away. We worked together on Fernwood Tonight and its successor in the late 70’s. We used to write together on the beach and sometimes I’d go out and riff on him. Great laughs! Always fun together. May Martin Mahr rest in peace.”
Before his success in television and film, Merle performed music and comedy in Hollywood clubs in the 1970s.
Actor Martin Mahr attends the Television Academy Reception for Emmy Award Nominated Performers at the Pacific Design Center on September 16, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Getty)
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“In 1976, I was performing as a guitar player and comedian at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip when Norman Lear came in and heard me. He cast me as the wife-beater in ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.’ Four months later, I had my own show,” he told The Associated Press in 1980.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
