Martin Mull

From Philosopedia

Martin Mull (18 August 1943 - )

Mull was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised from age 2 to 15 in North Ridgeville, Ohio, and moved to New Canaan, Connecticut. He graduated from New Canaan High School, then studied studied painting and went on to graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1965 and a Master of Fine Arts (1967) in painting.

His marriage to Kristin Johnson in 1972 ended in divorce in 1978, as did his marriage in 1978 to Sandra Baker. In 1982 he married singer Wendy Mull. He has one daughter, Maggie.

An accomplished painter who has studied in Italy, his work is shown by the Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago.

Mull made television commercials in the 1980s and 1990s for Michelob (beer), Red Roof Inn (budget-oriented hotels), and others, showing his skill as a comedian. In an episode of the cartoon series Dexter's Laboratory, he was the voice of a lazy robot who had a clueless partner, voiced by Fred Willard. He also voiced the role of the Evil Cad on Freakazoid!. From 2003 to 2007, he was the voice of Vlad Masters/Vlad Plasmius on Danny Phantom.

He has been a guest star in an episode of The Golden Girls (1990) and The Simpsons (1998). In 2004, he portrayed Gene Parmesan, a private investigator who in ¡Amigos! was seen in strange places and in crazy disguises but who never finds anything out.

In addition to painting full-time, Mull has acting credits that in 2008 included Family Man, Two and a Half Men, Law and Order: SVU, Gary Unmarried, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Bonnie Hunt Show, and, in 2009, in the viral advert That's Not Fake. In the animated series Family Guy, the name of the elementary school is Martin Mull Elementary.

In a thinly-veiled reference to Mull, fellow comic Ben Stein wrote the following in Dreemz (1978):

July 26, 1977. The comedy variety show I have been working on is finished taping for a few months. I went to the "wrap party" last night at the Bistro restaurant, a fine and fancy place. A lot of my friends from the studio were there . . . .

After an hour, the star of the show appeared with his girl friend. He is a funny guy who used to sing at small nightclubs and colleges. He played a role on Mary Hartman and then he was killed off. I begged our studio head not to lose him and he was saved for his own show, partly at my pleading request. When we first met, he called me "Ben" and was always full of jokes and pleasantries. When he got on the air, he started calling me "Benny," when he did not pass me without a word. Last night, after he had made it big, he saw me and said, "Well, look who's here." It's a standard line for people when they can't remember someone's name. That ruined the party, even though the Bistro does make pretty good cannelloni.

An atheist, Mull is not listed in Who's Who in America but was in in the 1989 Who's Who in Entertainment.

Selected Works

TELEVISION

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Barth Gimble (1976-78)

Fernwood 2 Nite Barth Gimble (1977-78)

Mull's English teacher called the program a great satire based upon his student's home town of New Canaan, Connecticut

America 2-Nite Barth Gimble (1978)

Roseanne Leon Carp (1991-97)

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Willard Kraft (1997-2000)

The Ellen Show Mr. Munn (2001-02)

Hopeless Pictures Skip (voice, 2005-)

FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR

Relative Strangers (2006)

The Aristocrats (Jan-2005) Himself

A Boyfriend for Christmas (27-Nov-2004)

Sister Mary Explains It All (27-May-2001)

Richie Rich's Christmas Wish (3-Nov-1998)

Beverly Hills Family Robinson (11-Apr-1998)

Edie & Pen (6-Apr-1997)

Jingle All the Way (16-Nov-1996)

How the West Was Fun (19-Nov-1994)

Mrs. Doubtfire (24-Nov-1993)

Miracle Beach (30-Sep-1992)

The Player (3-Apr-1992) Himself

Ted and Venus (20-Dec-1991)

Far Out Man (11-May-1990)

Ski Patrol (12-Jan-1990)

Cutting Class (Jul-1989)

Think Big (1989)

O.C. and Stiggs (10-Jul-1987)

The Boss' Wife (7-Nov-1986)

Clue (13-Dec-1985)

Mr. Mom (22-Jul-1983)

Take This Job and Shove It (24-Apr-1981)

My Bodyguard (11-Jul-1980)

Serial (28-Mar-1980)

FM (Apr-1978)