Charles Kimbrough

Charles Kimbrough (May 23, 1936 - January 11, 2023) was an American actor and voice actor known for having played 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 has extensive stage experience. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kimbrough and his first wife Mary Jane were part of the resident company of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre where they appeared in such plays as Feydeau's "Cat Among the Pigeons" and Jules Feiffer's "The White House Murder Case." In 1971, he was nominated for a Tonyfor 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 1976-1977, 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, scoring 17 Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes. Mr. Kimbrough was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990.
He was married to actress and fellow Company castmate Beth Howland, known for her television work as Vera Louise Gorman-Novak on the sitcom Alice. 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. To younger audiences, he is probably best known for supplying the voice of Victor, the most mature gargoyle in Disney's 1996 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.[3]
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's wife Beth 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]
The 2018 revival of Murphy Brown had Kimbrough return playing a retired Jim Dial for a multi-episode arc.[6]
Kimbrough died in Culver City, California, on January 11, 2023, at the age of 86.
== Filmography ==
Year 	Television 	Role 	Notes
1975 	Kojak 	Rudy 	Episode: "A Question of Answers"
1975 	Great Performances 	Dr. Spiga 	Episode: "The Rules of the Game"
1976 	Kojak 	Assistant D.A. Greg Burton	2 episodes
1977 	Great Performances 	Benton Arrelsford 	Episode: "Secret Service"
1981 	For Ladies Only 	Bob Merlis 	Television movie
1983 	Great Performances 	Editor 	Episode: "The Innocents Abroad"
1985 	Tales of the Unexpected 	Eric 	Episode: "Scrimshaw"
1986 	Spenser: For Hire 	Louis Groton 	Episode: "An Eye for an Eye"
1986 	Another World 	Dr. Abbott 	unknown episodes
1988–1998, 2018	Murphy Brown 	Jim Dial 	123 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 	Spenser: For Hire 	Roger Thornwood 	Episode: "To the End of the Line"
1988 	Hothouse 	Mr. Austen 	Episode: "Nancy: Part 1"
1992 	Dinosaurs 	Dr. Ficus 	Episode: "Germ Warfare"
1994 	Mighty Max 	Dr. Bob 	Episode: "Scorpio Rising"
1998 	Pinky and the Brain 	Sandy Dreckman 	Episode: "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again!"
1998 	Love Boat: The Next Wave	Rich 	Episode: "Affairs to Remember"
2000 	Family Guy 	Jim Dial 	Episode: "A Picture Is Worth $1,000 Bucks"
2000 	The Angry Beavers 	Narrator 	Episode: "Canucks Amuck"
2000 	Batman Beyond 	Gordon 	Episode: "Out of the Past"
2002 	Ally McBeal 	Charlie Fish 	Episode: "What I'll Never Do for Love Again"
2002 	The Zeta Project 	Pat Jensen 	Episode: "On the Wire"
Year	Film 	Role 	Notes
1976	The Front 	Committee counselor 	
1977	The Sentinel 	Hospital doctor 	Uncredited
1979	The Seduction of Joe Tynan 	Francis 	
1979	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	Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins	Brain Pod #29 	Voice
2000	The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire 	Rainbow Face #1 	Voice
2001	The Wedding Planner 	Mr. Donolly 	
2001	Recess: School's Out 	Mort Chalk 	Voice
2002	The Hunchback of Notre Dame II 	Victor 	Voice
2003	Marci X 	Lane Strayfield 	
Category:1936 births
Category:1930s births
Category:People from Minnesota
Category:People from St. Paul, Minnesota
Category:American male actors
Category:American film actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:American male voice actors