Mike O’Malley Remembers Yes, Dear Co-Star Anthony Clark, Dead at 62
Mike O'Malley paid tribute to his Yes, Dear co-star Anthony Clark, who died November 10 at age 62. O'Malley recalled a friend who made him laugh up to a phone call three weeks earlier. Clark's manager and fellow comedians also paid tribute.
Mike O'Malley remembers Yes, Dear co-star Anthony Clark as a "hilarious guy" after the comedian and actor died on November 10 at age 62. O'Malley announced the news in an Instagram post the following day.
Clark played Greg Warner, an uptight entertainment executive, in the CBS sitcom. The show ran six seasons and 122 episodes from 2000 to 2006. O'Malley played Jimmy Hughes.
A call three weeks earlier
O'Malley said he last spoke with Clark by phone about three weeks before the death. "He had us laughing loudly as he always did," he wrote.
He shared photos from the sitcom's final episode, which he said "ended twenty years ago after 122 episodes." He also wrote that Clark "invested his money well and essentially retired after we wrapped." He closed with: "Rest in peace, Tony."
Clark's longtime manager, Barry Katz, confirmed the death in a statement but gave no further details. Katz called Clark "one of the funniest and most talented stand-up comedian/actors I have ever had the pleasure of watching."
One entertainment-industry report said Clark died of complications related to pneumonia. It did not identify where that information came from.
Boston clubs and a first fan
O'Malley recalled watching Clark at Boston's Comedy Connection in the mid-1990s, when he and his future wife, Lisa, were dating. Clark was already famous in the city and regularly sold out shows.
"I was a fan before I was a friend," O'Malley wrote. He described a comic who laughed along with his own stories and observations, which made the audience laugh harder.
Comedian Nick Swardson, who opened for Clark for years, posted a tribute with a throwback photo. He called Clark "one of my best friends for a long time" and wrote, "Non stop laughs."
Dane Cook remembered sharing the stage with Clark in their early years at Boston's Faneuil Hall Comedy Connection. He described Clark as one of the best live performers he had ever seen.
From Boston to network television
Clark was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and attended Emerson College in Boston. There he performed with the student comedy troupe This Is Pathetic.
His television breakthrough was NBC's Boston Common, which aired from 1996 to 1997. He later appeared opposite Dan Aykroyd in Soul Man.
His film credits included Dogfight, The Thing Called Love and The Rock. After Yes, Dear ended, he hosted the fourth season of NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2006.
Yes, Dear co-creator Greg Garcia said he and Clark had reconnected over the past two or three years through monthly phone calls. When Garcia began trying stand-up comedy for the first time, Clark responded with enthusiasm and encouragement, Garcia said.
