Charles Kimbrough Explained

Charles Kimbrough
Birth Date:23 May 1936
Birth Place:St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Death Place:Culver City, California, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1950s–2018
Spouse:
    Children:1

    Charles Mayberry Kimbrough (May 23, 1936 – January 11, 2023) was an American actor, best known for his role as the straight-faced anchorman Jim Dial on Murphy Brown. In 1990, his performance in the role earned him a nomination for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series".[1]

    Biography

    Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Kimbrough had extensive stage experience. He studied theater and drama at Indiana University Bloomington, and graduated in 1958. He earned a Masters of Fine Arts degree at Yale University's School of Drama. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kimbrough and his first wife Mary Jane Wilson were part of the resident company of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre where they appeared in such plays as Georges Feydeau's Cat Among the Pigeons and Jules Feiffer's The White House Murder Case. In 1971, he was nominated for a Tony for best featured actor in a musical as Harry in Stephen Sondheim's Company. In 1984, he performed in the original Broadway cast of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George. He starred in the original Off-Broadway production of A.R. Gurney's comedy Sylvia in 1985.[2]

    Around 1976 to 1977, he appeared in a Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs commercial.

    In 1988, Kimbrough was cast as Jim Dial, a veteran network news anchor with the integrity and experience of an Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite, on the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown. The series ran for 247 episodes over ten seasons, winning 17 Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes. Kimbrough was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990.

    In 1996, he voiced Victor, a gargoyle, in Disney's animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a role he reprised in its direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II and .

    Kimbrough was part of the cast of the Roundabout Theater Company's 2012 Broadway revival of Mary Chase's Pulitzer prize-winning play Harvey playing William R. Chumley, M.D., with Jim Parsons in the lead as Elwood P. Dowd. The show ran from June 14 to August 5, 2012, at New York's Studio 54 Theatre.[3]

    Kimbrough later reprised his role as Jim Dial in the 2018 revival of Murphy Brown.[4]

    Personal life and death

    In 2002, Kimbrough married actress and fellow Company castmate Beth Howland, known for her television work as Vera Louise Gorman-Novak on the sitcom Alice. Howland died of lung cancer in December 2015 at the age of 74. Her death was not reported to the media until May 24, 2016.[5]

    Kimbrough's son, John, founded, sang and played guitar for the St. Paul-based alternative rock band Walt Mink.

    Kimbrough died in Culver City, California, on January 11, 2023, at the age of 86.[6]

    Filmography

    Television

    Year Television Role Notes
    1975–1976 Kojak Rudy, A.D.A Greg Burton 3 episodes
    1975–1983Great Performances Dr. Spiga, Benton Arrelsford, Editor 3 episodes
    1981 For Ladies Only Bob Merlis Television film
    1985 Tales of the Unexpected Eric Episode: "Scrimshaw"
    1986–1988 Louis Groton, Roger Thornwood 2 episodes
    1986Another World Dr. Abbott Unknown episodes
    1988–1998, 2018 Murphy Brown Jim Dial 250 episodes
    Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
    Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
    1988Hothouse Mr. Austen Episode: "Nancy: Part 1"
    1992 Dinosaurs Dr. Ficus Episode: "Germ Warfare"
    1994 Mighty Max Dr. Bob Voice, episode: "Scorpio Rising"
    1998 Pinky and the Brain Sandy Dreckman Voice, episode: "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again!"[7]
    Rich Episode: "Affairs to Remember"
    2000 Family Guy Jim Dial Voice, episode: "A Picture Is Worth $1,000 Bucks"
    The Angry Beavers Narrator Voice, episode: "Canucks Amuck"
    Batman Beyond Voice, episode: "Out of the Past"
    2002 Ally McBeal Charlie Fish Episode: "What I'll Never Do for Love Again"
    The Zeta Project Pat Jensen Voice, episode: "On the Wire"

    Film

    Year Film Role Notes
    1976 The Front Committee counselor
    1977 The Sentinel Hospital doctor Uncredited
    1979 The Seduction of Joe Tynan Francis
    Starting Over Salesman
    1980 It's My Turn Jerome
    1987 Switching Channels Governor Springfield
    1988 The Good Mother Uncle Orrie
    1995 Whisper of the Heart Additional voices 2006 Disney dub
    1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Victor Voice
    2000 Brain Pod #29
    Rainbow Face #1
    2001 The Wedding Planner Mr. Donolly
    Mort Chalk Voice
    2002 The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Victor
    2003 Marci X Lane Strayfield

    Video games

    Year Title Role
    1996 Victor
    2012
    2017 Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

    Notes and References

    1. News: Charles Kimbrough. https://web.archive.org/web/20080218130046/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/38196/Charles-Kimbrough. dead. February 18, 2008. Movies & TV Dept.. The New York Times. 2008.
    2. http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=778 Sylvia
    3. News: Turgeon . Jessica . 'Harvey' hops its way to Broadway this summer . TicketNews . June 20, 2012 . October 18, 2021.
    4. News: Murphy Brown Boss Focusing Revival 'Through Prism of the Press,' Reveals [Spoiler] Will Return for Arc ]. . Ausiello . Michael . August 5, 2018 . September 28, 2018.
    5. News: Beth Howland, accident prone waitress from the sitcom Alice dies at 74 . The New York Times . Grimes . William . May 24, 2016 . May 25, 2016.
    6. News: Alex. Williams. 0362-4331. en-US. Charles Kimbrough, Actor Best Known for 'Murphy Brown,' Dies at 86. The New York Times. February 5, 2023. February 5, 2023. February 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230205165414/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/arts/television/charles-kimbrough-dead.html. Charles Kimbrough, an actor known for his patrician looks and stately bearing who was nominated for an Emmy Award for portraying a comically rigid news anchor on the hit sitcom “Murphy Brown,” died on Jan. 11 in Culver City, Calif. He was 86. His son, John Kimbrough, confirmed the death..
    7. Web site: Charles Kimbrough (visual voices guide) . July 27, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors. 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 opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.