Harry Anderson of ‘Night Court’ dies at 65
Harry Anderson, the actor who played an off-the-wall judge in the long-running TV sitcom “Night Court,” has died at his North Carolina home.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Harry Anderson, the actor best known for playing an off-the-wall judge working the night shift of a Manhattan courtroom in the television comedy series “Night Court,” was found dead in his North Carolina home Monday. Anderson was 65. A statement from the Asheville Police Department said officers responded to a call from Anderson’s home early Monday and found him dead. The statement said foul play is not suspected.
On “Night Court,” Anderson played Judge Harry T. Stone, a young jurist who professed his love for actress Jean Harlow, magic tricks and his collection of art-deco ties. He also starred in the series “Dave’s World” and appeared on “Cheers” as con man Harry “The Hat” Gittes.
Anderson prided himself on being a magician as well as an actor. “I got into magic when I was a child,” he told the Associated Press in 1987. “Unlike most kids, I stayed with it. My high school teachers were always asking me what I was going to do. It made me what I am today — available for weekend employment, parties and bar mitzvahs.”
Anderson, was born in Newport, R.I., on Oct. 14, 1952. He grew up in New York and moved to Oregon when he was a teenager and said that’s where he became a hippie.
“The Shakespeare Festival at Ashland, Ore., seemed like a good place to open a magic store,” he said. “At 18, I was ready for retirement. It didn’t last long, but I was established as the magician.”
Anderson learned the ropes as a street performer in San Francisco, New Orleans and Austin, among other cities.
“‘Cheers’ was my first acting job, but it was basically the character I had developed on the street,” he said.
“Night Court” ran on NBC from 1984 until 1992, and Anderson received three lead comedy actor Emmy nominations for his role. After the show ended, he was cast in the lead role in the CBS sitcom “Dave’s World,” which was based on the life of Pulitzer Prizewinning humor columnist Dave Barry. That series ran from 1993 until 1997.
Anderson had two children from his first marriage to Leslie Pollack. His second wife, Elizabeth Morgan, is among his survivors.