LOS ANGELES — Actor Martin Mull, who charmed and entertained audiences across a broad spectrum of movies and television series, has died at the age of 80. The news was confirmed by his daughter, TV writer Maggie Mull, via Instagram.
“I am heartbroken to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th, after a valiant fight against a long illness," she wrote.
Mull's first major screen role was that of Garth Gimble as well as twin brother Barth on the groundbreaking Norman Lear soap opera parody "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." The Barth character was eventually spun-off in two further series, talk show parodies "Fernwood 2 Night" and "America 2-Night."
In 1985 Mull was cast to play the role of Colonel Mustard in the movie adaptation of the "Clue" board game.
During this period he voiced commercials for Red Roof Inn, saying their tag line, "We'll leave the light on for you."
“He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials. He would find that joke funny. He was never not funny," Maggie Mull wrote.
Throughout the 1990s, Mull found staying power with a recurring role as Leon Carp on "Roseanne," then as Principal Willard Kraft on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." Both series aired on ABC.
Over the past decade he guest-starred on series including "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Bob's Burgers," "Grace & Frankie" and "NCIS: Los Angeles."