Charles Kimbrough, who played newsman Jim Dial in ‘Murphy Brown’, dies at 86

LOS ANGELES — Charles Kimbrough, the Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played the uptight newscaster opposite Candice Bergen in “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. he was 86 years old.

Kimbrough played newsman Jim Dial for 10 seasons on the hit CBS sitcom Murphy Brown from 1988 to 1998 and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1990 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He reprized the role for three episodes in the 2018 reboot.

The New York Times first reported his death, and his son confirmed it to the Associated Press on Sunday.

Kimbrough was the brother of veteran Chicago stage actor Linda Kimbrough.

Kimbrough’s wife, Beth Howland, the actor who played diner server Vera on the 1970s and ’80s CBS sitcom Alice, died in 2016. In 1991, he divorced his first wife, Jane (Wilson), whom he married in 2002, more than a decade later. Kimbrough died in 2007.

In addition to sister Linda, Kimbrough has a son, John Kimbrough, and a stepdaughter, Holly Howland, reports The Times.

Born May 23, 1936, Kimbrough spent many years on the New York theater scene. In 1971, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical The Company.

Kimbrough also lent his voice to a gargoyle named Victor in Disney’s animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.