| Birth Name: | Martin Eugene Mull[1] |
| Birth Date: | 18 August 1943[2] |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Education: | New Canaan High School |
| Alma Mater: | Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, MFA) |
| Years Active: | 1970–2023 |
| Children: | 1 |
Martin Eugene Mull (August 18, 1943 – June 27, 2024) was an American comic actor whose career included contributions as a 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.
Mull was born in Chicago, the son of Betty Mull, an actress and director, and Harold Mull, an acoustics engineer.[3] He moved with his family to North Ridgeville, Ohio, when he was two years old.[1] 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.[4] 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.[5]
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 Billboards country charts. Shortly thereafter, he began his own recording career.[6]
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.[7] Notable live gigs included opening for Randy Newman and Sandy Denny at Boston Symphony Hall in 1973,[8] 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,[9] and Libby Titus.[10]
Elvis Costello and Gary Sperrazza attribute the remark "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" to Martin Mull.[11] [12]
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".[13] 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.
In late 2004 and in 2013's Netflix-produced Season 4 of Arrested Development, Mull portrayed Gene Parmesan, a private investigator.[14] From 2008 to 2013, he had a recurring role on the show Two and a Half Men as Russell, a humorous drug-using and selling pharmacist. During 2008 and 2009, Mull guest starred in two episodes of the television series Gary Unmarried, as Allison's father.[15] 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.[16] His later credits included The Ranch, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Bob's Burgers.
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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] 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 Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.[20]
Mull was divorced twice and then married singer Wendy Haas. Mull and Haas had a daughter, Maggie,[21] [22] [23] 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:
Mull died from a long illness at his Los Angeles home on June 27, 2024; he was 80.[24] [25] [26]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | FM | Eric Swan | ||
| 1980 | Serial | Harvey Holroyd | ||
| 1980 | My Bodyguard | Mr. Peache | ||
| 1981 | Take This Job and Shove It | Dick Ebersol | ||
| 1982 | Flicks | Tang/Arthur Lyle | ||
| 1983 | Mr. Mom | Ron Richardson | ||
| 1983 | Private School | Pharmacy Guy | Uncredited | |
| 1984 | Bad Manners | Warren Fitzpatrick | ||
| 1985 | Clue | Colonel Mustard | ||
| 1985 | 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 | ||
| 1990 | Think Big | Dr. Hayden Bruekner | ||
| 1990 | Far Out Man | Dr. Leddledick | ||
| 1992 | Miracle Beach | Donald Burbank | ||
| 1992 | Dance with Death | Art | ||
| 1993 | Mrs. Doubtfire | Justin Gregory | ||
| 1994 | Mr. Write | Dan Barnes | ||
| 1996 | Edie & Pen | Johnnie Sparkle | ||
| 1996 | Jingle All the Way | D.J. | ||
| 1998 | Zack and Reba | Virgil Payne | ||
| 1998 | 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 |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–1977 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | Garth Gimble / Barth Gimble | 49 episodes | |
| 1977 | Fernwood 2 Night | Barth Gimble | 44 episodes | |
| 1977 | The New Adventures of Wonder Woman | 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 | |
| 1984 | Domestic Life | Martin Crane | 10 episodes | |
| 1985 | The History of White People in America | Himself | Mockumentary; also writer and executive producer | |
| 1985 | Lots of Luck | Frank Maris | Television film | |
| 1985 | California Girls | Elliot | Television film | |
| 1988 | Portrait of a White Marriage | Martin Mull | Television film; also writer and executive producer | |
| 1990 | His & Hers | Doug Lambert | 13 episodes | |
| 1990 | 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 | |
| 1993 | Family Dog | Skip Binsford | Voice, 10 episodes | |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Wayne Hudson | Episode: "Who Killed Good Time Charlie?" | |
| 1994 | How the West Was Fun | Bart Gifooley | Television film | |
| 1995 | Marlin Pfinch-Lupus | Episode: "Whine, Whine, Whine" | ||
| 1997 | Beverly Hills Family Robinson | Doug Robinson | Television film | |
| 1997 | Over the Top | Brookes Jenson | Episode: "The Review" | |
| 1997–2000 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Willard Kraft | 39 episodes | |
| 1998–2000 | Recess | Paul Prickly | 2 episodes | |
| 1998 | The Simpsons | Seth | Voice, episode: "D'oh-in' in the Wind" | |
| 2000 | Family Guy | Mr. Harris | Voice, episode: "If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'" | |
| 2000 | Just Shoot Me! | Stan | Episode: "Slamming Jack" | |
| 2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Dennis Tucker | Voice, episode: "Birthday Quake"[27] | |
| 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" | |
| 2002 | Teamo Supremo | Governor Kevin | Voice, 10 episodes | |
| 2003 | Reba | Dr. Todd | Episode: "Encounters" | |
| 1998–2004 | Hollywood Squares | Himself | ||
| 2004 | Half & Half | Bob Tyrell | Episode: "The Big Rules of Engagement Episode" | |
| 2004 | Reno 911! | Jim Kringle | Episode: "Department Investigation: Part 2" | |
| 2004–2007 | Danny Phantom | Vlad Masters / Vlad Plasmius | Voice, 16 episodes | |
| 2004, 2013 2018–2019 | Arrested Development | 6 episodes | ||
| 2004 | A Boyfriend for Christmas | Martin Grant | Television film | |
| 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 | |
| 2008–2009 | Gary Unmarried | Charlie | 2 episodes | |
| 2008 | Dr. Gideon Hutton | Episode: "Retro" | ||
| 2008–2009 | My Boys | Dr. Clayton | 2 episodes | |
| 2008–2013 | Two and a Half Men | Russell | 6 episodes | |
| 2009 | Eastwick | Milton Philmont | Episode: "Reaping and Sewing" | |
| 2010 | 'Til Death | Whitey | 12 episodes | |
| 2011 | Oliver's Ghost | Clive Rutledge | Television film | |
| 2011 | Mad Love | Kurt Grabowski | Episode: "After the Fireworks" | |
| 2012 | El Jefe | Richard Turkus | Unaired pilot | |
| 2013 | Psych | Highway Harry | Episode: "100 Clues" | |
| 2013 | Reading Writing & Romance | Phil | Television film | |
| 2013–2014 | Dads | Crawford Whittemore | 19 episodes | |
| 2015 | Community | George Perry | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–2017 | Life in Pieces | Gary Timpkins | 4 episodes | |
| 2016 | Hail Mary | Mr. Wolf | Unaired pilot | |
| 2016 | 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 | Eddie (Edward O'Boyle) | Episode: "Old Tricks" | ||
| 2017 - 2019 | I'm Sorry | Martin | 7 episodes | |
| 2018 - 2019 | The Cool Kids | Charlie | 22 episodes | |
| 2020 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Admiral Walter Peralta | Episode: "Admiral Peralta" | |
| 2020 | Bless This Mess | Martin | Episode: "The Table" | |
| 2020 | Bob's Burgers | Shopkeeper | Voice, episode: "Local She-ro" | |
| 2022 | Grace and Frankie | H.W. Wallingford | Episode: "The Last Hurrah" | |
| 2022 | Maggie | Zach | Episode: "The Fortune You Seek is in Another Cookie" | |
| 2023 | Not Dead Yet | Monty | 3 episodes | |
| 2023 | The Afterparty | Sheriff Reardon | 2 episodes |