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Charles Mayberry Kimbrough (May 23, 1936 – January 11, 2023) was an American actor. He was 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".[2]
Charles Kimbrough | |
|---|---|
 Kimbrough at the 1989 Emmy Awards | |
| Born | May 23, 1936 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | January 11, 2023 (aged 86) Culver City, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1950s–2018 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1[1] |
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 1995.[3]
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 Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
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.[4]
Kimbrough later reprised his role as Jim Dial in the 2018 revival of Murphy Brown.[5]
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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.[6]
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.[1]
Television
| Year | Television | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–1976 | Kojak | Rudy, A.D.A Greg Burton | 3 episodes |
| 1975–1983 | Great 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 | Spenser: For Hire | Louis Groton, Roger Thornwood | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Another 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 |
| 1988 | Hothouse | 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] |
| Love Boat: The Next Wave | 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 | Stage Gordon | Voice, episode: "Out of the Past"[7] | |
| 2002 | Ally McBeal | Charlie Fish | Episode: "What I'll Never Do for Love Again" |
| The Zeta Project | Pat Jensen | Voice, episode: "On the Wire"[7] |
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[7] |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins | Brain Pod #29 | |
| The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire | Rainbow Face #1 | ||
| 2001 | The Wedding Planner | Mr. Donolly | |
| Recess: School's Out | Mort Chalk | Voice[7] | |
| 2002 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame II | Victor | |
| 2003 | Marci X | Lane Strayfield |
Video games
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