We have some very sad news to report today, as Anthony Clark, the comedian and actor who appeared in films including The Rock and The Thing Called Love before becoming best known for starring in the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, has died at the much-too-young age of 62.
Clark’s death was announced by his friend and Yes, Dear co-star Mike O’Malley, who shared a tribute on social media on November 11. The cause of death was not immediately confirmed in the initial report from The Hollywood Reporter. Deadline subsequently reported that Clark died from complications related to pneumonia.
“We spoke on the phone three weeks ago. He had us laughing loudly as he always did,” O’Malley wrote. “He invested his money well and essentially retired after we wrapped. Rest in peace, Tony.”
Anthony Clark’s Career in Film and Television
Born on April 4, 1964, in Lynchburg, Virginia, Clark graduated from Emerson College in 1986 with a degree in mass communication. He demonstrated an early talent for comedy, winning the Top College Comedian Award from the American Collegiate Talent Showcase while attending the school. After graduating, Clark pursued stand-up comedy before making his screen debut in an episode of American Playhouse in 1991. His first major television role came in 1996, when he starred as Boyd Pritchett in NBC’s Boston Common. The sitcom followed a young man who moves from Virginia to Boston to keep an eye on his sister while she attends college. The show ran for two seasons.
Clark also appeared in the 1996 film The Thing Called Love, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, which featured a cast that included River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney, and Sandra Bullock. He later had a memorable appearance in Michael Bay’s 1996 action blockbuster The Rock, playing a flamboyant hairdresser who cuts Sean Connery‘s hair.
His other screen credits included Dogfight, Ellen, Soul Man, Say Uncle, My Uncle Rafael, and West of Liberty.
Anthony Clark Was Best Known for Yes, Dear
Clark’s most recognizable television role was Greg Warner on the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear. He starred alongside Mike O’Malley, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Liza Snyder in the comedy, which centered on two couples with very different approaches to parenting who end up living under the same roof. Created by Greg Garcia and Alan Kirschenbaum, Yes, Dear ran for six seasons between 2000 and 2006.
Clark’s comedy career also brought him to Last Comic Standing, where he served as the host of the show’s fourth season in 2006. Earlier in his career, he appeared alongside several other comedians in HBO’s 1995 Young Comedians special.
Mike O’Malley and Greg Garcia Remember Anthony Clark
O’Malley remembered Clark as a uniquely funny performer, recalling that the comedian was already selling out shows in Boston when they first met in the mid-1990s.
“He was one of those comics who is laughing along with you at the absurdity of his stories and observations and it just made you laugh harder because he was laughing,” O’Malley wrote. “I was a fan before I was a friend.”
Yes, Dear creator Greg Garcia also shared a tribute with Deadline, remembering the monthly phone calls they had enjoyed over the last few years. Garcia described Clark as having “the most insane sense of humor” of anyone he had known, adding that their conversations were filled with jokes and stories. He also recalled that Clark had recently been encouraging him as he began trying stand-up comedy himself.
Clark’s longtime manager Barry Katz remembered him as “one of the funniest and most talented comedian/actors I have ever had the pleasure of watching.”
After stepping away from Hollywood, Clark became involved in buying and selling real estate, according to Katz. He is remembered for bringing laughter to audiences through his stand-up performances, television work, and film appearances. Our condolences go out to Clark’s family, friends, and fans.
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