Charles Kimbrougha stage and film actor best known for his performance as anchorman Jim Dial on the CBS comedy series “Murphy Brown“, died on January 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86 years old.

Kimbrough’s death was confirmed at New York Times by his son, John Kimbrough.

A famed stage actor who earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Harry in the original 1970 Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Company,” Kimbrough’s talents hit mainstream audiences in the end. 80s, alongside Candice Bergen in the Newsroom sitcom. “Murphy Brown.” Kimbrough earned an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990 for the show’s second season.

Kimbrough played conservative comic Jim Dial throughout the original “Murphy Brown” series, serving as a main cast member for all 10 seasons. He then reprized the role for a handful of episodes in the series’ 2018 revival.

Born May 23, 1936, in St. Paul, Minnesota, Kimbrough was largely raised in Highland Park, Illinois, near Chicago. He majored in music and theater at Indiana University, then earned a master’s degree at the Yale School of Drama.

Kimbrough’s breakthrough as an actor came with the original production of “Company.” He appeared as two characters in Sondheim’s later musical, “Sunday in the Park With George”, which opened in 1984. Other notable stage credits include “Candide”, “Same Time, Next Year” , “Accent on Youth” and “The Merchant”. of Venice. More recently, Kimbrough starred alongside Jim Parsons in the 2012 revival of “Harvey.”

Kimbrough also featured in the 1996 animated film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, voicing the gargoyle Victor.

In 1991, Kimbrough divorced his first wife, Mary Jane (Wilson) Kimbrough. In 2002, he married Beth Howland, another actress who opposite him on “Company” and the 70s comedy series “Alice.” Beth Howland died in 2016.

In addition to her son, Kimbrough is survived by her sister, Linda Kimbrough, and stepdaughter, Holly Howland.