He was selling out Boston comedy rooms before TV found him: Anthony Clark of Yes, Dear dies at 62

Anthony Clark, the comedian who starred in all six seasons of the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear, has died. He was 62.

His former co-star Mike O’Malley announced the death on social media on Wednesday US time, writing: “Anthony Clark died yesterday. He was a hilarious guy.” Clark’s longtime manager, Barry Katz, confirmed the news, calling him one of the funniest and most talented comedian-actors he had seen. No cause of death has been disclosed, and the family has not released a statement.

Who was Greg Warner?

Yes, Dear premiered on CBS in 2000 and ran until 2006, a six-season, 122-episode run built on a simple, combustible idea: two very different couples under one roof. Clark played Greg Warner, a cautious, put-upon father married to the meticulous Kim, played by Jean Louisa Kelly. Liza Snyder played Kim’s sister Christine, and O’Malley played Christine’s easygoing husband Jimmy, who moved the family into the Warners’ guest house.

Clark was there for every season, and O’Malley’s tribute included photographs of the two of them on the set of the final episode.

Where did he come from?

The comedy clubs. O’Malley recalled that in the mid-1990s, when he and his future wife were dating, Clark was already famous in Boston and regularly selling out shows at The Comedy Connection.

That reputation took him to HBO’s 1995 Young Comedians special, sharing the bill with Garry Shandling, Dave Chappelle, Dave Attell and Louis C.K. Television followed fast: he led the NBC sitcom Boston Common, which ran for two seasons from 1996 to 1997, and turned up in Soul Man, Ellen and the animated Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. On film, his credits include A Thing Called Love and The Rock.

What came after Yes, Dear?

In 2006, the year Yes, Dear ended, Clark hosted the fourth season of NBC’s talent contest Last Comic Standing, putting him in front of the next generation of stand-ups he had come up alongside. Bill Bellamy took over as host for the following season.

How are people remembering him?

O’Malley said he had been “a fan before I was a friend”, and that the two had spoken by phone about three weeks ago. He signed off simply: “Rest in peace. Tony.”

Katz said Clark would be missed.

For a generation of television viewers, Clark was the face of a particular kind of sitcom husband: anxious, outnumbered and trying his best. For the comedians who saw him first in Boston, he was the guy who could already fill the room.