TVSquad

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Dabbs Greer: Name a TV show, and Greer made an appearance on it. He was the ultimate character actor, having appeared on several shows over the years, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, Diagnosis: Murder, Ally McBeal, Spin City, L.A. Law, Empty Nest, The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone, The Brady Bunch, The Rifleman, Lizzie McGuire and so many others. One of those character actors who played a half dozen different roles on various shows. He was a regular on Picket Fences, Maybe It's Me, and Little House on the Prairie. He died in Pasadena at age 90.

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.

If I were to pick 10 of my favorite TV people of all-time, my list would include people like Rod Serling, Dick Van Dyke and Carl Reiner, everyone behind The Simpsons, and, of course, American Idol judge Paula Abdul.

OK, I'm kidding about that last one.

But also on that list would be veteran comic Bob Newhart. Not only did he star in two great classic sitcoms (The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart), and a third underrated one (George & Leo), he's also a brilliant standup comic. He even had the #1 album and won a Grammy, beating out people like Frank Sinatra. He's funny, has a unique style, and just seems like a helluva decent guy.