Yes, Dear actor Anthony Clark has died. He was 62.
“[Clark was] one of the funniest and most talented comedian/actors I have ever had the pleasure of watching,” his longtime manager, Barry Katz, confirmed to Us on Wednesday, November 11. “It was an honor to represent him and he will be missed for the joy, happiness, and love he brought to everyone he worked with and the audiences that were blessed to see his undeniable performances.”
Clark reportedly died after experiencing complications from pneumonia, per Deadline.
Clark’s death was first announced by his longtime friend and costar Mike O’Malley, who worked with him on the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear. The two comics’ history dates back long before their TV careers as they first connected on the 1990s Boston comedy scene.
“Anthony Clark died yesterday. He was a hilarious guy,” O’Malley, 60, shared via X on Wednesday. “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 recalled being blown away by Clark’s irreverent stage presence, adding that he was “a fan before I was a friend.” He revealed that they’d reconnected on the phone only a few weeks before Clark’s death.
“We spoke on the phone three weeks ago. He had us laughing loudly once again,” he wrote.
Clark spent six seasons and more than 120 episodes on Yes, Dear playing entertainment business impresario Greg Warner, whose Hollywood lifestyle with his wife Kim (Jean Louisa Kelly) and their kids is complicated when Kim’s sister Christine (Liza Snyder) and her husband Jimmy (O’Malley) move into their guest house with their rowdy sons. CBS canceled Yes, Dear in 2006.
Following Clark’s death, Yes, Dear executive producer Greg Garcia light-heartedly credited the actor with having “the most insane sense of humor” of any comedian he’s ever worked with.
“The things that would come out of his mouth were so unexpected and hilarious. Over the last two or three years we had reconnected, and I always looked forward to our monthly phone calls where we would catch up and make each other laugh,” Garcia, 56, shared with Deadline. “Recently, he was so full of joy and encouragement when he found out I was trying stand-up comedy for the first time.”
The Yes, Dear producer continued, “[Clark] enjoyed talking about the art of stand-up, being on the road, and would also offer some great advice. Just a few weeks ago we were laughing hysterically on the phone, trading jokes and telling stories. It’s a sad day, and I’ll miss him very much. I’m glad he was able to bring a lot of joy and laughter into the world.”
In addition to his long-running role on the CBS sitcom, Clark had a cameo opposite Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in the 1996 action blockbuster The Rock. Clark also starred in the short-lived 1990s NBC sitcom Boston Common and had a four-episode arc on Ellen DeGeneres‘ groundbreaking sitcom Ellen, in addition to hosting the fourth season of NBC’s standup comedy reality show Last Comic Standing in 2006.
