Anthony Clark, the Nineties stand-up comedian who starred in the long-running sitcom Yes, Dear, has died at the age of 62.
Clark’s Yes, Dear co-star Mike O’Malley first shared news of the actor’s death on social; Deadline confirmed Clark died Tuesday,
with the cause of death believed to be complications from pneumonia.
“Anthony Clark died yesterday. He was a hilarious guy,” O’Malley, who starred alongside Clark for six seasons on the sitcom, wrote on social media. “When my wife Lisa and I were dating back in the mid-nineties, Anthony was already famous in Boston, regularly selling out comedy shows. The first time we saw him at The Comedy Connection we laughed and laughed and laughed. He was so unique — one of those comics who is laughing along with you at the absurdity of his stories and observations.”
O’Malley continued, “I was a fan before I was a friend. We spoke on the phone three weeks ago. He had us laughing loudly once again. Attached are some snapshots from our last episode of ‘Yes Dear’ which ended 20 years ago after 122 episodes. Rest in peace. Tony.”
Clark was born in Lynchburg, Virginia — as evident in his notable accent — but came to prominence in Boston’s comedy scene in the early Nineties; Clark was among the then-emerging stand-up talent — like Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., and Dave Attell — that featured on Garry Shandling’s 1995 Young Comedians Special.
After stints on shows like Boston Common and Soul Man, Clark was cast as Greg Warner in the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, playing the straight man to his wilder brother-in-law played by O’Malley. While never critically acclaimed, Yes, Dear became a hit with audiences, spending six years on CBS from 2000 to 2006 and an even longer run in syndication.
Yes, Dear co-creator Greg Garcia, who also created shows like My Name Is Earl and Raising Hope, said of Clark in a statement to Deadline, “I’ve been very lucky to be friends with some of the funniest people in the world, and Anthony Clark had the most insane sense of humor of all of them. The things that would come out of his mouth were so unexpected and hilarious.”
After Yes, Dear, Clark hosted the sixth season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006. The actor-comedian then largely left the entertainment business and moved into real estate for the past two decades.
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