Orson Bean obit

Veteran actor Orson Bean, 91, struck and killed by car while walking in Los Angeles

He was not on the list.

Orson Bean, actor and comedian, was struck and killed by a car in Los Angeles on Friday night. He was 91.

Bean's death was confirmed by the Los Angeles County coroner's office to the Associated Press. They said that his death was being investigated as a "traffic-related" fatality.

Los Angeles Police Capt. Brian Wendling told ABC initially that a man had been walking in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles and was clipped by a vehicle, causing him to fall. Then, a second driver struck him again, which was the cause of his death.

NBC reported that both drivers stayed on the scene and attempted to administer aid but Bean died at the scene.

ABC reported that actress Alley Mills, 68, who Bean was married to for 27 years, was at the scene at the time of the accident.

He had a daughter, Michele, from his first marriage to Jacqueline de Sibour, and sons Max and Ezekiel and daughter Susannah from his marriage to Carolyn Maxwell.

His career

Bean was known for his career in television, film and on the stage. He enlivened TV game shows as “To Tell the Truth” and played a crotchety merchant in the 1990s on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.” He continued to stay active on the screen in recent years with guest shots in such shows as “Desperate Housewives,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Modern Family.”

He also made his mark in a plenty of films — notably, “Anatomy of a Murder” and “Being John Malkovich." He also starred in several Broadway productions and received a Tony nod for the 1962 Comden-Green musical “Subways Are for Sleeping.”

The actor was born in Burlington, Vermont under the name Dallas Frederick Burrows. He later picked the stage name Orson Bean. Bean left home at 16 years old after his mother died by suicide. His father, George Burrows, was a founding member of the ACLU.

He stopped working in television for a year when he was blacklisted in Hollywood during the Cold War. He claimed it was due to a relationship he had with a "cute columnist," in a 2001 interview, according to the Associated Press. While he was on the outs, Bean turned to theater starring in productions on Broadway including roles in shows such as "Never on Sunday" and "Never Too late."

He took another break to live in Australia and later returned to the U.S. and eventually returned to acting.

Outside of acting

While Bean is known for his life in entertainment, he had other interests as well in politics, education, writing and more.

Bean became related to a leading right-wing commentator, Andrew Breitbart, when his daughter, Susannah, married him. Bean wrote a few columns for Breitbart's site himself.

Bean was also an author. He wrote a memoir called “Too Much Is Not Enough” and a book about a non-traditional therapy called “Me and the Orgone.”

In 1964, Bean bought a building in New York City and opened a school based on the philosophy of Summerhill, the progressive British school founded by A.S. Neill. That year, he also co-founded the Sons of the Desert, an organization dedicated to comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, with chapters around the globe.

More recently, Bean financed the Pacific Resident Theater Ensemble in Venice.

Fans react

Fans, friends and former colleagues took to social media to pay their respects.

Phil Lord, who wrote on Twitter that he was a friend and neighbor of Bean's, asked that his followers pray for the legendary actor.

"Say a prayer for the legendary, hysterical, beloved Orson Bean tonight," Lord wrote. "He was my neighbor and my friend. He never stopped delighting audiences, even when it was just me getting the paper. He was as encouraging and inspiring and energetic a mentor as you could hope to meet."

And some shared their favorite memories from his career.

Bob Davidson tweeted an image with the caption, "RIP Mr.Bevis, Orson Bean. You were magnificent."



Selected Television and Filmography

Year Film Role Notes

1952 Broadway Television Theatre Robert Bennett / Erwin Trowbridge 2 episodes

1952 Westinghouse Studio One Harvey B. Hines Episode: "The Square Peg"

1954 Robert Montgomery Presents Episode: "It Happened in Paris"

1954 Westinghouse Studio One Joey Episode: "Joey"

1955 The Best of Broadway Mortimer Brewster Episode: "Arsenic and Old Lace"

1955 The Elgin Hour Arthur Episode: "San Francisco Fracas"

1955 How to Be Very, Very Popular Toby Marshall

1956 Omnibus Episode: "The Best Year in the Whole History of the World"

1956 Westinghouse Studio One Charlie Digger Episode: "A Christmas Surprise"

1957 Kraft Television Theatre George Sanford Episode: "A Travel from Brussels"

1957 Playhouse 90 Jack Chesney Episode: "Charley's Aunt"

1958 The Phil Silvers Show Pvt. Wally Gunther Episode: "Bilko's Insurance Company"

1958 The Millionaire Newman Johnson Episode: "The Newman Johnson Story"

1959 Anatomy of a Murder   Dr. Matthew Smith

1959 Miracle on 34th Street    Dr. William Sawyer

1960 The Twilight Zone James B.W. Bevis Episode: "Mr. Bevis"

1961 The DuPont Show with June Allyson John Monroe Episode: "The Secret Life of James Turber"

1962 Naked City Arnold Platt Episode: "To Walk Like a Lion"

1954–1963 The United States Steel Hour Dennis Kavanaugh / Eddie West / Lester 3 episodes

1964 Vacation Playhouse Episode: "The Bean Show"

1966 The Star-Wagon Stephen Minch

1970 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Hank / Sir Boss (voice)

1970 Twinky Hal

1970 Love, American Style Artie Kaufman Episode: "Love and the Co-ed Dorm/Love and the Optimist/Love and the Teacher"

1970 NET Playhouse Multiple Roles Episode: "Helen Hayes Remembers"

1975 Ellery Queen Warren Wright Episode: "The Adventure of the Chinese Dog"

1977 Forever Fernwood Reverend Brim

1977 The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins

1978 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Reverend Brim Unknown episodes 1977–1978

1978 The Love Boat Artie D' Angelo Episode: "Heads or Tails/Little People, The/Mona of the Movies"

1980 The Return of the King Frodo Baggins/Bilbo Baggins

1982 Forty Deuce Mr. Roper

1982 One Life to Live Harrison Logan 1 episode

1984 Garfield in the Rough Billy Rabbit

1984 The Fall Guy Jason Klemer Episode: October 31

1985 Super Password Himself Game Show Contestant / Celebrity Guest Star

1986–1987 The Facts of Life Oliver Thompson 3 episodes

1986–1989 Murder, She Wrote Ebeneezer McEnery 2 episodes

1987 Innerspace Lydia's Editor

1990 Instant Karma Dr. Berlin

1990 Tiny Toon Adventures Gepetto (voice) Episode: "Fairy Tales for the 90's"

1991 Chance of a Lifetime Fred

1992 Final Judgement Monsignor Corelli

1992 Just My Imagination Jeremy Stitcher

1993–1998 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Loren Bray 146 episodes

1997 California Loren Bray Unknown episodes

1998 Diagnosis: Murder Lewis Sweeney Episode: "Obsession: Part 1"

1999 Thanks Burnaby Fitzhugh Episode: "Spring"

1999 Being John Malkovich     Dr. Lester

1999 Unbowed Purdy

2000 Manhattan, AZ Lew Goldberg 2 episodes

2000 Ally McBeal Marty Episode: "In Search of Pygmies"

2000 The King of Queens Carl Tepper Episode: "Surprise Artie"

2000 Family Law Archbishop Phillips Episode: "Possession Is Nine Tenths of the Law"

2000 Will & Grace Professor Joseph Dudley Episode: "There But for the Grace of Grace"

2000 Normal, Ohio William 'Bill' Gamble, Sr. 7 episodes

2001 Burning Down the House Sy

2001 The Gristle Mr. Bowen

2002 Becker Mr. Bennet Episode: "Piece Talks"

2002 Frank McKlusky, C.I. Mr Gafty

2003 7th Heaven Patient / Mr. Hampton Impersonator 2 episodes

2004 Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' John Forsythe

2004 Soccer Dog: European Cup Mayor Milton Gallagher

2004 Cacophony Ferruccio

2004 Cold Case Harland Sealey Episode: "Red Glare"

2005 Two and a Half Men Norman Episode: "Does This Smell Funny to You?"

2006 Alien Autopsy Homeless Man

2006 Commander in Chief Bill Harrison Episode: "The Price You Pay"

2007 Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe Raff Buddemeyer

2007 The Closer Donald Baxter Episode: "The Round File"

2007 The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman Chick Episode: "Good Times and Great Oldies"

2007 Women's Murder Club Harold Grant Episode: "Grannies, Guns and Love Mints"

2007 How I Met Your Mother Bob Episode: "Slapsgiving"

2009 Oranges Dennis

2009 Safe Harbor Judge

2009–2012 Desperate Housewives Roy Bender Recurring role, 23 episodes

2011 Hot in Cleveland Dan Episode: "Funeral Crashers"

2012 Love for Christmas aka A Golden Christmas Mr. Cole

2014 Mistresses Episode: "Rebuild"

2016 Modern Family Marty Episode: "Playdates"

2016 The Guest Book Edgar Episode: "Story Eight"

2016 The Bold and the Beautiful Howard 2 episodes

2016 Another Period Laverne Fusselforth V 2 episodes

2017 Teachers Jerry Episode: "Dosey Don't"

2018 The Equalizer 2 Sam Rubinstein

2018 Superstore Dr. Fogler Episode: "Delivery Day"

2020 Grace and Frankie Bruno Episode: "The Scent"