Richard Mulligan

Richard Mulligan (November 13, 1932 – September 26, 2000) was an American television, film and character actor known for his role as Burt Campbell, the loving, protective husband of Cathryn Damon's character, in the sitcom Soap(1977–81). Later he had a starring role as Dr. Harry Weston in Empty Nest(1988–95).[1] He was the younger brother of film director Robert Mulligan.
== Early life and career ==
Mulligan was born on November 13, 1932, in New York City. After attending Columbia University, Mulligan began working in theater, making his debut as a stage manager and performer on Broadway in All the Way Home in 1960. Additional theatre credits included A Thousand Clowns, Never Too Late, Hogan's Goat, and Thieves.
Mulligan made a brief, uncredited appearance in the 1963 film Love with the Proper Stranger, which was directed by his elder brother. He starred with Mariette Hartley in the 1966-67 season comedy series The Hero, in which he played TV star Sam Garret. Garrett had starred in a fictional series as Jed Clayton, U.S. Marshal. The Hero lasted for 16 episodes. Another notable TV appearance was on the I Dream of Jeannie episode "Around the World in 80 Blinks", as a navy commander accompanying Major Nelson (Larry Hagman) on a mission.
== 1970s to end of career ==
Mulligan's most notable film role was as General George Armstrong Custer in Little Big Man, whom he portrayed as a borderline psychotic. He also appeared in the disaster movie spoof, The Big Bus (1976), where he was reunited with Larry Hagman, with whom he starred in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie (see above). In 1975, he starred in a radio adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Oblong Box" heard on The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
Mulligan's best-known roles in television were as Burt Campbell in the sitcom Soap (1977–81), for which he won a Best Actor Emmy Award, and as Dr. Harry Weston in the NBC series Empty Nest, a spin-off of The Golden Girls in which his character had appeared in a couple of episodes. Empty Nest ran for seven seasons, and Mulligan won a Best Actor Emmy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award for his performance. He also played Secretary of State William Seward in Lincoln (1988), a TV movie based on Gore Vidal's novel.
Mulligan returned to perform on Broadway and in films, in which he usually played supporting roles. A notable exception was the black comedy S.O.B.(1981), in which he played a leading character, Felix Farmer, a Hollywoodproducer-director based upon the film's actual producer-director, Blake Edwards. The film starred Julie Andrews and William Holden and again, featured Larry Hagman. Mulligan was cast as Reggie Potter in the television series Reggie(1983). Lasting for only six episodes, it was a loose adaptation of the popular BBC series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. In the 1984 film Teachers, he played an eccentric high school history teacher (who in one scene teaches the Battle of the Little Bighorn, once more dressed as General Custer).
In 1985, he guested The Twilight Zone episode "Night of the Meek", where he took on the role of Henry Corwin, an alcoholic department store Santa Clauswho becomes the genuine article, in the remake of the 1959 Christmas episode "The Night of the Meek", the character that Art Carney had played in the original version. The next year, he appeared in another episode of the series, "The Toys of Caliban".
Mulligan lent his voice to Disney's 1988 animated film, Oliver & Company, as the oafish Great Dane named Einstein. His final performance was a voice over on Hey Arnold! in 2000 as the voice of Jimmy Kafka, the long mentioned but never seen former friend of Arnold's Grandpa.
== Marriages ==
Mulligan married four times. He was first married to Patricia Jones from 1955 to 1960, with whom he had a son, James.[2] That was followed by marriages to Joan Hackett from January 3, 1966, to June 1973 and Lenore Stevens from 1978 to 1990. His last marriage was to adult film actress Rachel Ryan on April 27, 1992, which only lasted to early 1993.
== Death ==
On September 26, 2000, Mulligan died of colorectal cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California.[3] At his own request, his remains were cremated and there was no funeral service. Mulligan was survived by his son James Mulligan from his first marriage, and two brothers, Robert and James.[4]
== Recognition ==
On September 30, 1993, Mulligan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in the television industry, located at 6777 Hollywood Blvd.[5][6]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1962	40 Pounds of Trouble 	Bellhop 	Uncredited
1963	Love with the Proper Stranger 	Louie 	Uncredited
1964	One Potato, Two Potato 	Joe Cullen 	
1966	The Group 	Dick Brown 	
1969	The Undefeated 	Dan Morse 	
1970	Little Big Man 	George Armstrong Custer 	
1971	A Change in the Wind 	 	
1972	Irish Whiskey Rebellion 	Paul Lachaise- Alcoholic Actor	
1972	Harvey 	Dr. Lyman Sanderson 	TV movie
1973	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler	Mr. Kincaid 	
1974	Visit to a Chief's Son 	Robert 	
1976	The Big Bus 	Claude Crane 	
1978	Having Babies III 	Jim Wexler 	TV movie
1979	Scavenger Hunt 	Marvin Dummitz 	
1981	S.O.B. 	Felix Farmer 	
1982	Trail of the Pink Panther 	Clouseau's father 	
1984	Jealousy 	Merrill Forsyth 	TV movie
1984	Meatballs Part II 	Coach Giddy 	
1984	Teachers 	Herbert Gower 	
1984	Micki + Maude 	Leo Brody 	
1985	Doin' Time 	Mongo Mitchell 	
1985	The Heavenly Kid 	Rafferty 	
1986	A Fine Mess 	Wayne 'Turnip' Parragella 	
1986	Babes in Toyland 	Barnie / Barnaby Barnicle 	TV movie
1988	Lincoln 	William H. Seward 	TV Mini-Series
1988	Oliver & Company 	Einstein 	Voice
1996	London Suite 	Dennis Cummings 	TV movie
1997	Dog's Best Friend 	Fred 	TV movie
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1963 	Car 54, Where Are You? 	Patrolman 	Episode: "The Curse of the Snitkins"
1963 	Route 66 	County Prosecutor	Episode: "Shadows of an Afternoon"
1966–1967	The Hero 	Sam Garret 	16 episodes
1967 	The Rat Patrol 	Major Lansing 	Episode: "Take Me to Your Leader Raid"
1967 	Mannix 	Dr. Bob Adams 	Episode: "Beyond the Shadow of a Dream"
1967 	Gunsmoke 	Jud Pryor 	Episode: "Wonder"
1969 	I Dream of Jeannie 	Wingate 	Episode: "Around the World in 80 Blinks"
1970 	The Most Deadly Game 	Jordan 	Episode: "Witches' Sabbath"
1971 	Love, American Style 	George 	Episode: "Love and the Jury"
1971 	Police Surgeon 	Kramer 	Episode: "A Taste of Sun"
1971 	Bonanza 	Dr. Mark Sloan 	Episode: "Don't Cry, My Son"
1971 	Bonanza 	Farley 	Episode: "Kingdom of Fear"
1971 	The Partridge Family 	Dr. Jim Lucas 	Episode: "Why Did the Music Stop?"
1972 	Circle of Fear 	Tom 	Episode: "House of Evil"
1973 	Diana 	Jeff Harmon 	2 episodes
1973 	The Partridge Family 	Mr. Lipton 	Episode: "The Diplomat"
1975 	Medical Story 	Dr. Ted Freeland 	Episode: "The Right to Die"
1975 	Matt Helm 	Jack Harte 	Episode: "Dead Men Talk"
1976 	Little House on the Prairie	Granville Whipple	Episode: "Soldier's Return"
1976 	Switch 	Andy Rowen 	Episode: "The Argonaut Special"
1976 	Charlie's Angels 	Kevin St. Clair 	Episode: "Night of the Strangler"
1976 	Spencer's Pilots 	Babcock 	Episode: "The Matchbook"
1976 	The McLean Stevenson Show 	Lloyd 	Episode: "Oldie But Goodie"
1976 	Gibbsville 	Ben 	Episode: "Saturday Night"
1977 	Hunter 	Dr. Harter 	Episode: "Mirror Image"
1977 	Kingston: Confidential 	Harlan Scott 	Episode: "Triple Exposure"
1977 	Dog and Cat 	Brother Saul 	Episode: "Brother Death"
1977 	The Love Boat 	Ron Larsen 	Episode: "Ex Plus Y"
1977–1981	Soap 	Burt Campbell 	82 episodes
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1978 	The Love Boat 	Mark Littlejohn 	Episode: "Where Is It Written?"
1983 	Reggie 	Reggie Potter 	6 episodes
1986 	The Twilight Zone 	Ernie Ross 	Episode: "The Toys of Caliban"
1986 	Highway to Heaven 	Jeb Basinger 	Episode: "Basinger's New York"
1988–1995	Empty Nest 	Dr. Harry Weston 	170 episodes
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1990–91)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series(1990–91)
Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series (1990–91)
1988–1989	The Golden Girls 	Dr. Harry Weston 	3 episodes
1991–1993	Nurses 	Dr. Harry Weston 	4 episodes
1995 	The John Larroquette Show 	Richard Hemingway	Episode: "An Odd Cup of Tea"
1997 	The Angry Beavers 	Old Gramps 	Episode: "Fish and Dips"
2000 	Hey Arnold! 	Jimmy Kafka 	Episode: "Old Iron Man", (final appearance)
Category:1932 births
Category:2000 deaths
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
Category:Deaths from cancer in California
Category:Columbia University alumni
Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
Category:American people of Irish descent
Category:Male actors from New York City
Category:Male actors from Los Angeles
Category:People from Manhattan
Category:People from the Bronx
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:Disney people
Category:Oliver the Kitten films
Category:Oliver & Company