Love, career success, and a new lease on life – Mr. Kimbrough had it all. From his major in music and theater at Indiana University to his big break as Harry in the Harold Prince production of “Company”, this award-winning actor had an impressive career. His success in the 1970s and ‘80s in films like “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” and television shows like “Kojak” led to him being typecast as stodgy, but it was only with “Murphy Brown” that he found the degree of fame where fans recognized him on the street. This is the inspiring story of Mr. Kimbrough, whose life was filled with love, career success, and a newfound appreciation for life.
Mr. Kimbrough’s journey began with his love of music, particularly opera, and his major in music and theater at Indiana University. He later received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama and moved to New York, where he endured the typical struggles of a young actor until his big break as Harry, a hard-drinking husband fighting off the lure of the bottle, in the Harold Prince production of “Company”. Through this production, he found love himself three decades later when he married Beth Howland, who had played alongside him in “Company” as an anxiety-ridden bride.
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Mr. Kimbrough continued to work steadily, appearing on television shows like “Kojak” and in films like “The Seduction of Joe Tynan” (1979), with Alan Alda, while also paying the bills as a wholesome American in television spots for Imperial margarine and Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs. It was only with “Murphy Brown” that he found the degree of fame where fans recognized him on the street and with it, he made peace with being typecast as stodgy. He came to realize that “stuffiness is not dullness,” and that gave him a new lease on life.
Mr. Kimbrough’s life was filled with love, career success, and a newfound appreciation for life. His story is inspiring and his legacy will live on through his son, sister, and stepdaughter.
Source: www.nytimes.com