Tom Poston, one of the classic veterans of TV comedy, died earlier today at his home in Los Angeles. He appeared on The Steve Allen Show in the 1950s and Newhart in the 1980s.
Poston played handyman George Utley on Newhart, and was also a regular on another Bob Newhart series, Bob. And to keep the connection to Newhart going, he played Cliff "The Peeper" Murdock on The Bob Newhart Show in the 70s. Poston also appeared on Grace Under Fire, Mork & Mindy, The Simpsons, Will & Grace, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Get Smart, Coach, The Love Boat, Studio One, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Just Shoot Me, That 70s Show, and dozens of other shows over the years.
Poston was married to actress Suzanne Pleshette, who played Newhart's wife Emily on The Bob Newhart Show.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-01-2007 @ 6:22PM
Jack said...
Aw, he was such a funny guy.
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5-01-2007 @ 6:25PM
David said...
I'm 33 and best remember Tom Poston for his seasons on "Newhart" (the one set in Vermont). He was funny and gentle and a great addition to any cast.
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5-01-2007 @ 6:35PM
Jeff N. said...
Tom Poston was a great guy. Very funny man. Sorry to hear he died.
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5-02-2007 @ 8:57PM
kristopher Kyer said...
I WORKED A FULL SEASON WITH TOM POSTON ON THE FINAL ROUGH SEASON OF "GRACE UNDER FIRE".
HE WAS A GENTLE, CONSUMMATE PRO. HE WAS ALWAYS COURTEOUS, AND WILLING TO TALK TO ANYONE. I WILL TREASURE MY TIME WORKING WITH TOM, HE WAS A TRUE LEGEND IN HIS CRAFT.
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5-01-2007 @ 6:45PM
Tele-Toby said...
It's not a TV show, but the movie "Cold Turkey" had a great TV background - Poston, Dick Van Dyke, Newhart, Bob & Ray, Jean Stapleton, Barnard Hughes, Vincent Gardenia; a Yorkin-Lear production.
Find it if you can. Tom Poston had one of the funniest movie monologues in it that I've ever seen.
He was one of the great character actors, a real Everyman. He could be counted on to do everything, from the bumbling sidekick (Newhart) to villains (Get Smart) to a melancholy guest turn (Becker).
One of my faves.....
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5-01-2007 @ 7:06PM
bd said...
Dude was awesome on Grace Under Fire and Committed.
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5-01-2007 @ 7:28PM
David said...
He was very funny, but I thought he died awhile ago.
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5-01-2007 @ 7:29PM
Satine said...
How sad. My parents watched Newhart faithfully, and when I wasn't being an irritable teenager, I would watch it with them. I'm not familiar with any of his other work, but he made me smile when he was on Newhart.
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5-01-2007 @ 7:33PM
ratphink said...
Goodnight Peeper, you'll be missed.
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5-07-2007 @ 10:50AM
Meneses said...
We saw Mr. Poston at The Palm restaurant in West L.A. a couple of years ago, as he made his way to the exit, my wife looked up at him, he realized she recognized him and gave her a warm smile. Godspeed.
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5-04-2007 @ 1:59PM
lover of classics said...
He was a great game show player and panelist -- in fact he was on the same panel with Kitty Carlisle for many years on the Bud Collyer '50s-60s "To Tell The Truth."
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5-01-2007 @ 9:58PM
Stacy said...
RIP, Tom Poston. Your humor and gentleness will be missed.
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5-01-2007 @ 11:19PM
Don said...
I remember Tom fondly as Art Hipke, the dentist, jewler, agent in a recurring role on Coach.
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5-01-2007 @ 11:22PM
Doug Caldwell said...
Thanks for the posting. I had not heard of Tom's passing tell reading your story. I remember him on the Steve Allen show. Great comic. www.dougcaldwell.net
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5-01-2007 @ 11:32PM
kmb said...
Tom, I will miss your quirky characters--you are one of a kind. Heaven was made for people like you. And, lets not wait until great actors are no longer with us to say something positive about them.... Suzanne Pleshette, what a phenemonal actor you are--you bring a touch of class to every performance. God bless you and keep you.
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5-02-2007 @ 12:13AM
Vicky said...
I had never heard of the movie Cold Turkey, but knowing Tom Poston was in it I will definitely look for it. He was an outstanding actor, I always thought he should have been offered a main character roll somewhere. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
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6-03-2007 @ 6:55AM
Jack Yan said...
He just never seemed that old. Tom had this childishness about him that made all his characters endearing. Go well, Tom.
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