'Seinfeld' actor Ian Abercrombie dead at 77
Jan 28 2012 07:11 PM ET
Ian Abercrombie, the actor best recognized for playing Elaine Benes’ boss on
Seinfeld, has died.
He was 77.
Abercrombie, who did voice work on the movie
Rango this year, passed away in Hollywood on Thursday. He just finished work on the animated series
Green Lantern for the Cartoon Network.
Abercrombie’s career spanned more than 50 years and included roles in flicks like
Young Frankenstein and
The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Abercrombie made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of Stalag 17. He played the Wise Man in Sam Raimi’s comedy-horror film
Army of Darkness (1992). He lent his voice to Palpatine/Darth Sidious on the animated series
Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
TV gigs included playing Mr. Pitt on
Seinfeld, as well as parts on
Wizards of Waverly Place,
Desperate Housewives,
Murphy Brown and
L.A. Law.
He was born in Essex, England and began his career as a stage actor.