Bea Arthur 'Maude' Co-Star, Bill Macy, Dead at Age 97
“Maude” star Bill Macy died last night at 7:13 p.m. in his Los Angeles home, according to his manager. He was 97 years old.
The cause of death has not yet been reported.
Macy acted alongside Bea Arthur in the 1970s “All in the Family” sitcom spin-off “Maude” as Walter Findlay, the husband of Arthur’s character.
The CBS sitcom lasted for six seasons from 1972 to 1978.
Matt Beckoff, Macy’s producer and manager, confirmed the actor’s death in a Facebook post Thursday night.
“My buddy Bill Macy passed away at 7:13pm tonight,” Beckoff wrote. “He was a spitfire right up to the end.”
After his role on “Maude,” he starred in Steve Martin’s “The Jerk,” “Me, Myself and I,” and “The Holiday.”
He also made various appearances on televisions shows such as “Law & Order,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “My Name is Earl.”
Macy was born on May 18, 1922, to Michael and Mollie Gerber in Massachusetts, according to the Associated Press.
In 1958, he landed his first Broadway role as an understudy in “Once More, With Feeling” after he drove a taxi for about 10 years, according to Hollywood Reporter.
He eventually landed a role in the opening Broadway production of “Oh! Calcutta!” where he met his wife Samantha Harper, whom he married in 1975.
Norman Lear, the creator of “Maude,” first saw Macy “choking on a chicken bone in an off-Broadway play” — something he told the Archive of American Television was a “tour de force.”
Macy is survived by his wife and has left behind a legacy of humor and excellence for his fans.
Our thoughts and prayers go out for Macy’s wife and others who knew and loved him.
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