Henry Gibson, the veteran comic character actor best known for reciting offbeat poetry on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, passed away on Monday of cancer. He was 73.
Gibson’s recent work included playing the cantankerous and eternally befuddled judge Clarence Brown on ABC’s Boston Legal for five seasons, as well as providing the voice of reporter Bob Jenkins on Fox’s King of the Hill.
Gibson was born James Bateman in Germantown, Pa., in 1935. After serving in the Air Force and studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he created his Henry Gibson comic persona – a pun on playwright Henrik Ibsen's name – while working as a theatre actor in New York.
During his three seasons on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Gibson delivered satirical poems while holding a giant flower.
After Laugh-In, Gibson went on to appear in several films, including The Long Goodbye and Nashville; the latter earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
His most memorable film roles included playing the menacing neighbour opposite Tom Hanks in The 'Burbs, the befuddled priest in Wedding Crashers and voicing Wilbur the Pig in the animated Charlotte's Web.
gdavid@tvguide.ca
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