Martin Mull: Arrested Development and Roseanne star dead at 80

American actor and comedian Martin Mull, known for his work in the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Roseanne, has died at the age of 80.

Mull, who also starred in the 1985 comedy Clue, died Thursday at his home after a “valiant fight against a long illness,” his daughter, Maggie Mull, said on social media.

In a tribute on Instagram, Mull wrote that her father “was known for excelling in every creative discipline imaginable and for making commercials for Red Roof Inn.”

“He thought the joke was funny,” she added. “He never failed to laugh. »

Mull's first notable role was in 1976, as Garth Gimble in the soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which led to two additional spin-off roles, most notably in the series Fernwood 2 Night.

He then landed the role of army officer Colonel Mustard in the dark comedy Clue, based on the board game of the same name.

Around this time, he also began voicing the Red Roof Inn commercials mentioned by his daughter in her tribute.

1990s TV aficionados will recognize Mull from his work on Roseanne, where he played the title character's boss, Leon Carp, or Sabrina the Teenage Witch, where he played Principal Willard Kraft.

Mull also appeared in the critically acclaimed satirical sitcom Arrested Development, playing hapless private investigator Gene Parmesan.

He has starred in many other famous television series including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The Golden Girls and Two and a Half Men.

Mull was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for a four-episode appearance he made on the HBO political satire Veep in 2016.

Born in Chicago to an actress mother and a carpenter father, Mull began his career in show business as a songwriter and rose to prominence as a musical comedian. He opened for Frank Zappa and Bruce Springsteen at numerous concerts in the early 1970s.

He also studied painting and graduated in 1965 from the Rhode Island School of Design with a bachelor's degree in fine arts.

In a 2013 interview with AV Club, he said of his acting career that “every painter I know has a day job. They either teach art at a university or drive a taxi.”

“I've been lucky enough to have an amazing, fun day job that allows me to buy a lot of paint,” he said.

Besides his daughter Maggie, a television writer, he is survived by his wife Wendy Haas, an actress and composer, whom he married in 1982.