Charles Kimbrough Dead: 'Murphy Brown,' 'Company' Star Was 86
Share and Follow

Charles Kimbrough, a stage and screen actor best known for his performance as anchorman Jim Dial on the CBS comedy series “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, Calif. He was 86 years old.

Kimbrough’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his son, John Kimbrough.

A celebrated theater actor who earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Harry in the original 1970 Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim musical “Company,” Kimbrough’s talents reached the mainstream in the late-’80s, starring alongside Candice Bergen on the newsroom sitcom “Murphy Brown.” Kimbrough earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series in 1990 for the show’s second season.

Kimbrough played the comically conservative Jim Dial throughout the original run of “Murphy Brown,” serving as a main cast member for all 10 seasons. He later reprised the role for a handful of episodes in the 2018 revival of the series.

Born May 23, 1936 in St. Paul, Minn., Kimbrough was largely raised in Highland Park, Ill., near Chicago. He majored in music and theater at Indiana University, later receiving a master’s at the Yale School of Drama.

Kimbrough’s breakthrough as an actor came with the original production of “Company.” He appeared as two characters in Sondheim’s later musical, “Sunday in the Park With George,” which opened in 1984. Other notable stage credits include “Candide,” “Same Time, Next Year,” “Accent on Youth” and “The Merchant of Venice.” More recently, Kimbrough featured alongside Jim Parsons in the 2012 revival of “Harvey.”

Kimbrough also featured in the 1996 animated film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” voicing the gargoyle Victor.

In 1991, Kimbrough divorced his first wife, Mary Jane (Wilson) Kimbrough. In 2002, he married Beth Howland, a fellow actor who featured opposite him in “Company” and featured in the ’70s comedy series “Alice.” Beth Howland died in 2016.

In addition to his son, Kimbrough is survived by his sister, Linda Kimbrough, and his stepdaughter, Holly Howland.

!function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {
if (f.fbq) return;
n = f.fbq = function() {
n.callMethod ?
n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments);
};
if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;
n.push = n;
n.loaded = !0;
n.version = ‘2.0’;
n.queue = [];
t = b.createElement(e);
t.async = !0;
t.src = v;
s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);
}(window, document, ‘script’,

fbq(‘init’, ‘586935388485447’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘315552255725686’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Sarah Hyland Announces Departure from ‘Love Island USA’ Amid Speculation of Ariana Madix Taking Over

It looks like Ariana Madix is adding another gig to her resume.…

Recap of Episode 7 of ‘3 Body Problem’: “Move Forward Only”

Flyin’ like an airplane, feelin’ like a space brain. It’s terminal cancer…

“I’m the one paying your school fees” — Man tells his son after his wife claimed to be the one making the payments

Nigerian man rants, informs his son that he is the one paying…

Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, and Others Set to Perform at iHeartRadio Music Awards

It’s not complicated: Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and more musicians are ready to roar at…

Famous Fitness Coach Gunnar Peterson Reveals His 4-Year-Old’s Cancer Battle

Gunnar Peterson‘s family is facing a heartbreaking health journey. The celeb fitness…

Is ‘Constellation’ Season 2 Coming to Apple TV+? What We Know So Far

Since Apple TV+‘s psychological space thriller Constellation premiered in February, it’s become one of…

Nickelodeon Stars Who Have Responded to the Revealing ‘Quiet on Set’ Documentary

The conversation around the alleged toxic work environment at Nickelodeon may just…

H Queen’s Showcases Global Contemporary Artists

The H Queen’s is where the art is this month. Conveniently located…