Murphy Brown star Charles Kimbrough passed away on January 11 in Culver City. The 86-year-old's death was confirmed to New York Times by his son John Kimbrough.
Before entering the television space, Charles was a celebrated theatre actor who earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Harry in the original 1970 Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company.
Charles had a breakthrough in television with the newsroom sitcom Murphy Brown in the late 80s, in which he starred alongside Candice Bergen as the comically conservative Jim Dial. He earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series in 1990 for the show's second season. Charles starred as Jim Dial throughout the original run of Murphy Brown serving as a main cast member for all 10 seasons. He then reprised the role in 2018 for some episodes in the revival of the series.
Charles also appeared as two characters in Stephen Sondheim's later musical, Sunday in the Park with George, which opened in 1984. Candide, Same Time, Next Year, Accent on Youth, and The Merchant of Venice are some of his other notable stage credits. Charles also voiced the gargoyle Victor in the 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Charles Kimbrough is survived by his sister, stepdaughter and son. He lost his second wife, Beth Howland, in 2015. He mutually separated from his first wife, Mary Jane, in 1991.
