Murphy Brown star Charles Kimbrough dies aged 86

Charles Kimbrough has died at the age of 86.
The actor - who was known for his role as anchor man Jim Dial on the hit sitcom 'Murphy Brown' in the 1980s and 1990s alongside Candice Bergen and Faith Ford - passed away on January 11, his son John Kimbrough, confirmed to the New York Times on Sunday (05.02.23) without revealing a cause of death.
The 'Marci X' star was married to fellow sitcom star Beth Howland - who was best known for playing waitress Vera Gorman in the CBS show 'Alice' - from 2002 until her death in 2015 and prior to that was married to Mary Jane Wilson from 1961 until 1991 and is reportedly survived by his sister Linda Kimbrough as well as his stepdaughter, Holly Howland.
Charles - who was nominated for an Emmy for his role in the classic sitcom - started his career with parts in a number of plays and musicals, even appearing in the original cast of ' Sunday in the Park with George', which was written by the late Stephen Sondheim.
Charles returned to his signature reboot over the course of a three-episode stint for the show's reboot but after the initial heyday of the classic sitcom, voiced the role of Victor in Disney classic 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' in 1996 as well as its 2002 sequel and also made guest appearances on hit shows such as 'Family Guy', 'Ally McBeal' and 'The Angry Beavers.'
In 2012, Charles quipped that he was "really good at playing jacka*****" but admitted he had always been "slightly self-conscious" as a performer.
He said: "Unfortunately, I’m really good at playing jackasses of one kind or another. I’ve always been slightly self-conscious as an actor, and I guess that sometimes reads as pomposity.”