Martin Mull

Martin Eugene Mull (Template:IPAc-en, August 18, 1943 – June 27, 2024) was an American actor, musician, and painter. He became known on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, its spin-off Fernwood 2 Night, and America 2 Night. Other notable roles included Colonel Mustard in the 1985 film Clue, Leon Carp on Roseanne, Willard Kraft on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Vlad Masters / Vlad Plasmius on Danny Phantom, and Gene Parmesan on Arrested Development. He had a recurring role on Two and a Half Men as Russell, a drug-using, humorous pharmacist.

Early life and education

Mull was born in Chicago, the son of Betty Mull, an actress and director, and Harold Mull, an acoustics engineer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He moved with his family to North Ridgeville, Ohio, when he was two years old.<ref name="complete history"/> They lived there until he was 15 years old when his family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut. He attended and graduated from New Canaan High School.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mull studied painting and graduated in 1965 from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts; in 1967, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting, also from RISD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

Music

Mull broke into show business as a songwriter, penning Jane Morgan's 1970 country single, "A Girl Named Johnny Cash", which peaked at No. 61 on BillboardTemplate:'s country charts. Shortly thereafter, he began his own recording career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Martin Mull Talks "The Cool Kids" - Life Love and Pop - Culture.webm

Mull in discussion, 2018

Throughout the 1970s, and especially in the first half of the decade, Mull was best known as a musical comedian, performing satirical and humorous songs both live and in studio recordings. Rather than use the stage trappings of most musical acts, Mull decorated his stage with comfortable thrift store furniture.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Notable live gigs included opening for Randy Newman and Sandy Denny at Boston Symphony Hall in 1973,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> Frank Zappa at Austin's Armadillo World Headquarters in 1973, Billy Joel in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1974; and for Bruce Springsteen at the Shady Grove Music Fair in Gaithersburg, Maryland in October 1974. His self-titled debut album, released by Capricorn in 1972, featured many noteworthy musicians including Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Levon Helm from The Band, Keith Spring of NRBQ, Jack Bone,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Libby Titus.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Elvis Costello and Gary Sperrazza attribute the remark "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" to Martin Mull.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Acting

Mull's first well-known acting role was as Garth Gimble in the 1976 television nighttime absurdist soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. That led to work in the spin-off talk show parodies Fernwood 2 Night (1977) and America 2 Night (1978), in which he played talk show host Barth Gimble (Garth's twin brother), opposite Fred Willard, as sidekick and announcer Jerry Hubbard. Mull appeared as the neurotic, libidinous disc jockey Eric Swan in the 1978 movie FM, his feature film debut. In 1979, Mull appeared in the Taxi episode Hollywood Calling. He created, wrote, and starred in the short-lived 1984 CBS sitcom Domestic Life, with Megan Follows playing his teenaged daughter.

During the 1980s, Mull played supporting roles in the films Mr. Mom (1983) and Clue (1985), and had a rare lead role in Serial (1980). In 1985, he co-created and starred in The History of White People in America—the Associated Press said the mockumentary was "what many thought was his best work".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also starred in a series of commercials for Michelob and Pizza Hut, and in a series of television and radio commercials for Red Roof Inn with Willard. He appeared in the 1986 Pecos Bill episode of the Shelley Duvall TV series Tall Tales & Legends. In a 1990 episode of The Golden Girls, he played a hippie who was afraid of the outside world.

Mull had a long-running role from 1991 to 1997 as Leon Carp, Roseanne Conner's gay boss (and later business partner) on the TV series Roseanne. From 1997 to 2000, he played Willard Kraft on the show Sabrina the Teenage Witch; he was Sabrina Spellman's high school's vice-principal in seasons 2 and 3 and her high school's principal in season 4. Mull appeared as a guest star on the game show Hollywood Squares, appearing as the center square in the show's final season, from 2003 to 2004. He did the voice of Vlad Masters / Vlad Plasmius, the main villain in Danny Phantom from 2004 to 2007.

File:Martin Mull 2018.png

Mull in 2018

In late 2004 and in 2013's Netflix-produced Season 4 of Arrested Development, Mull portrayed Gene Parmesan, a private investigator.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> From 2008 to 2013, he had a recurring role on the show Two and a Half Men as Russell, a humorous drug-using and drug-selling pharmacist. During 2008 and 2009, Mull guest starred in two episodes of the television series Gary Unmarried, as Allison's father.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2015, he appeared in two episodes of the TV series Community as George Perry, the father of Britta Perry. He also starred in the Fox television sitcoms Dads (2013-14) and The Cool Kids (2018-19), the latter with David Alan Grier, Vicki Lawrence, and Leslie Jordan. In 2016, Mull appeared as guest star in the satirical TV series Veep, a role that earned him an Emmy nomination.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His later credits included The Ranch, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Bob's Burgers.

Art

Mull began painting in the 1970s, and his work has appeared in group and solo exhibits. He participated in the June 15, 1971 exhibit "Flush with the Walls" in the men's room of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to protest the lack of contemporary and local art in the museum.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His first serious one-person exhibition was held in 1980 at the Molly Barnes Gallery in Los Angeles and was credited by artist Mark Kostabi as instrumental in launching his own career because of "Mull's simultaneous embrace of humor and gravitas in visual art." His work often combined photorealist painting, and the pop art and collage styles.<ref>Martin Mull Template:Webarchive, Artnet</ref> He published a book of some of his paintings, titled Paintings Drawings and Words, in 1995. One of his paintings was used on the cover for the 2008 Joyce Carol Oates novel My Sister, My Love.<ref>Format Follies, Pt. 3 Template:Webarchive, Christopher Currie, Furious Horses (blog), April 1, 2009</ref> Another one of his paintings, titled After Dinner Drinks (2008), which is owned by Steve Martin, was used for the cover of Love Has Come for You, an album by Martin and Edie Brickell.<ref>Neale, April (2013). "Steve Martin's 'Love has Come For You' celebrates Martin Mull's artistry, tour dates (VIDEO) Template:Webarchive", Monsters And Critics.</ref>

Personal life and death

Mull was divorced twice and then married singer Wendy Haas. Mull and Haas had a daughter, Maggie,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>"Martin Mull Biography Template:Webarchive". TV Guide. Retrieved August 4, 2022.</ref><ref>Lavin, Cheryl (September 4, 1994). "Martin Mull Template:Webarchive". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 4, 2022.</ref> who as of 2021 is a co-executive producer for Family Guy. In a 2010 interview on The Green Room with Paul Provenza, Mull said that he was agnostic: Template:Cquote

Mull died from a long illness at his Los Angeles home on June 27, 2024, at the age of 80, less than two months before his 81st birthday.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="WrapObit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="HRobit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1978	FM	Eric Swan
1980	Serial	Harvey Holroyd
	My Bodyguard	Mr. Peache
1981	Take This Job and Shove It	Dick Ebersol
1982	Flicks	Tang/Arthur Lyle
1983	Mr. Mom	Ron Richardson
	Private School	Pharmacy Guy	Uncredited
1984	Bad Manners	Warren Fitzpatrick
1985	Clue	Colonel Mustard
	O.C. and Stiggs	Pat Coletti
1986	The Boss' Wife	Tony Dugdale
1988	Rented Lips	Archie Powell	Also writer and producer
1989	Cutting Class	William Carson III
1990	Ski Patrol	Sam Marris
	Think Big	Dr. Hayden Bruekner
	Far Out Man	Dr. Leddledick
1992	Miracle Beach	Donald Burbank
	Dance with Death	Art
1993	Mrs. Doubtfire	Justin Gregory
1994	Mr. Write	Dan Barnes
1996	Edie & Pen	Johnnie Sparkle
	Jingle All the Way	D.J.
1998	Zack and Reba	Virgil Payne
	Richie Rich's Christmas Wish	Richard Rich Sr.	Direct-to-video
2000	Attention Shoppers	Charles
2002	The Year That Trembled	Wayne Simonelli
2006	Relative Strangers	Jeffry Morton
2010	Killers	Holbrook
2013	Tim's Vermeer	Himself	Documentary
2018	A Futile and Stupid Gesture	Modern Doug Kenney	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Television

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1976–1977	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman	Garth Gimble / Barth Gimble	49 episodes
1977	Fernwood 2 Night	Barth Gimble	44 episodes
	The New Adventures of Wonder Woman	Hamlin Rule/Pied Piper	Episode: "The Pied Piper"
1978	America 2-Night	Barth Gimble	65 episodes
1979	Taxi	Roger Chapman	Episode: "Hollywood Calling"
1983	Sunset Limousine	Mel Shaver	Television film
	Square Pegs	Dan Vermillion	Episode: It's Academical
1984	Domestic Life	Martin Crane	10 episodes
1985	The History of White People in America	Himself	Mockumentary; also writer and executive producer
	Lots of Luck	Frank Maris	Television film
	California Girls	Elliot
1988	Portrait of a White Marriage	Martin Mull	Television film; also writer and executive producer
1990	His & Hers	Doug Lambert	13 episodes
	The Golden Girls	Jimmy	Episode: "Snap Out of It"
1991	Get a Life	Sandy Connors	Episode: "Chris Wins a Celebrity"
1991–1997	Roseanne	Leon Carp	46 episodes; also creative consultant (season 4) and wrote episode "Tolerate Thy Neighbor"
1992–1993	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	2 episodes
1993	The Day My Parents Ran Away	Norman Roberts	Television film
	Family Dog	Skip Binsford	Voice, 10 episodes
1994	Burke's Law	Wayne Hudson	Episode: "Who Killed Good Time Charlie?"
	How the West Was Fun	Bart Gifooley	Television film
1995	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Marlin Pfinch-Lupus	Episode: "Whine, Whine, Whine"
1997	Beverly Hills Family Robinson	Doug Robinson	Television film
	Over the Top	Brookes Jenson	Episode: "The Review"
1997–2000	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Willard Kraft	39 episodes
1998	The Simpsons	Seth	Voice, episode: "D'oh-in' in the Wind"
1998–2000	Recess	Paul Prickly	2 episodes
1998–2004	Hollywood Squares	Himself
2000	Family Guy	Mr. Harris	Voice, episode: "If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'"
	Just Shoot Me!	Stan	Episode: "Slamming Jack"
	The Wild Thornberrys	Dennis Tucker	citation	CitationClass=web }} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
2001	Sister Mary Explains It All	Skeptical Husband	Television film
2001–2002	The Ellen Show	Ed Munn	18 episodes
2002	Dexter's Laboratory	M.A.R. 10	Voice, episode: "Lab on the Run"
	Teamo Supremo	Governor Kevin	Voice, 10 episodes
2003	Reba	Dr. Todd	Episode: "Encounters"
2004	Half & Half	Bob Tyrell	Episode: "The Big Rules of Engagement Episode"
	Reno 911!	Jim Kringle	Episode: "Department Investigation: Part 2"
	A Boyfriend for Christmas	Martin Grant	Television film
2004–2007	Danny Phantom	Vlad Masters / Vlad Plasmius	Voice, 16 episodes<ref name="btva" />
2004, 2013 2018–2019	Arrested Development	Gene Parmesan	6 episodes
2005	Hopeless Pictures	Skip	Voice
2005–2011	American Dad!	Father Donovan	Voice, 10 episodes
2006	Crumbs	Tom	Episode: "Six Feet Blunder"
2007	The War at Home	Principal Fink	3 episodes
2008	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Dr. Gideon Hutton	Episode: "Retro"
2008–2009	Gary Unmarried	Charlie	2 episodes
	My Boys	Dr. Clayton	2 episodes
2008–2013	Two and a Half Men	Russell The Pharmacist	6 episodes
2009	Eastwick	Milton Philmont	Episode: "Reaping and Sewing"
2010	'Til Death	Whitey	12 episodes
2011	Oliver's Ghost	Clive Rutledge	Television film
	Mad Love	Kurt Grabowski	Episode: "After the Fireworks"
2012	El Jefe	Richard Turkus	Unaired pilot
2013	Psych	Highway Harry	Episode: "100 Clues"
	Reading Writing & Romance	Phil	Television film
2013–2014	Dads	Crawford Whittemore	Main role; 19 episodes
2015	Community	George Perry	2 episodes
2015–2017	Life in Pieces	Gary Timpkins	4 episodes
2016	Hail Mary	Mr. Wolf	Unaired pilot
	Veep	Bob Bradley	4 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
2016–2020	The Ranch	Jerry	13 episodes
2017	NCIS: Los Angeles	Eddie (Edward O'Boyle)	Episode: "Old Tricks"
2017–2019	I'm Sorry	Martin	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2018–2019	The Cool Kids	Charlie	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2020	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Admiral Walter Peralta	Episode: "Admiral Peralta"
	Bless This Mess	Martin	Episode: "The Table"
	Bob's Burgers	Shopkeeper	Voice, episode: "Local She-ro"
2022	Grace and Frankie	H.W. Wallingford	Episode: "The Last Hurrah"
	Maggie	Zach	Episode: "The Fortune You Seek is in Another Cookie"
2023	Not Dead Yet	Monty	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	The Afterparty	Sheriff Reardon	2 episodes

Video game

Year	Title	Voice role	Notes
2005	Nicktoons Unite!	Vlad Plasmius	<ref name="btva" />

Discography

• Martin Mull (1972)
• "Dueling Tubas" (single) charted at #92 on BillboardTemplate:'s Hot 100 (1973); #87 in Canada;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> #70 in Canada AC<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Martin Mull and His Fabulous Furniture in Your Living Room! (1973)
• Normal (1974)
• In the Soop with Martin Mull (with Ed Wise and Les Daniels, recorded in 1967, released in 1974)
• Days of Wine and Neuroses (1975)
• I'm Everyone I've Ever Loved (1977)
• No Hits, Four Errors – The Best of Martin Mull (1977)
• Sex & Violins (1978)
• Near Perfect/Perfect (1979)
• Mulling It Over – A Musical Ouvre-View of Martin Mull (1998)

External links

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• Martin Mull on Artnet
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