Kimbrough played newsman Jim Dial for 10 seasons of the hit sitcom from 1988 to 1998. Earning a 1990 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
LOS ANGELES — Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor. Who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen. On “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, Calif. He was 86.
Kimbrough played newsman Jim Dial for 10 seasons of the CBS hit sitcom “Murphy Brown.” Ffrom 1988 to 1998, earning a 1990 Emmy nomination for Outstanding. Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He reprized the role for three episodes in the 2018 reboot.
The New York Times first reported his death. And his son and agents confirmed it to The Associated Press on Sunday.
“Whether on stage or in front of the camera she was a joy to watch,” said SMS Talent. Inc., the talent agency representing Kimbrough.
The agency said the actor died of natural causes at a hospital. His wife, actor Beth Howland who played. Diner server Vera on the 1970s and ’80s CBS sitcom “Alice,” died in 2016. They married in 2002, more than a decade later. Divorced in 1991 from his first wife, Mary Jane (Wilson) Kimbrough, who died in 2007.
SMS Talent said he is survived by a sister, Linda Kimbrough, a son, John Kimbrough. A stepdaughter, Holly Howland, and a granddaughter, Cody.
Born May 23, 1936, Kimbrough spent years in the New York theater scene. He was nominated for a Tony in 1971 for his Broadway performance. In the Stephen Sondheim musical “Company.“
He also lent his voice to a gargoyle named Victor. In the Disney animated film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
