Martin Mull (1943-2024)
Martin Mull 65 PT MFA 67 PT, the deadpan comic actor, singer-songwriter and artist who won widespread attention in the 1970s on television shows like “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and “Fernwood 2-Night” and remained active in television and film over the next half-century, died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 80.
His wife, Wendy Mull, confirmed the death. No cause was given.
Mr. Mull, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, broke into show business as a singer and songwriter with a satirical bent. He embodied the hip, cerebral humor that ran through the anti-establishment comedy of the 1970s and ’80s.
His persona — both the way he presented himself when he performed music and, later, the kind of roles he usually played in movies and on television — was droll, understated and often sardonic. Much like Steve Martin, with whom he was sometimes compared, he presented an outwardly buttoned-down image that belied an often absurdist sense of humor.
