Funny man and Newhart sidekick Tom Poston succumbed to an undisclosed illness Monday at the age of 85.
TV personality and actor of the stage and screen, Poston launched his career demonstrating his versatility by playing five roles in the 1947 Broadway production of Cyrano de Bergerac.
Best known for his characters in Newhart in which he played the bumbling handyman George Utley and Mork and Mindy as the drunk dog-owner Franklin Delano Bickley, Poston has also made numerous other television appearances, including Get Smart, The Bob Newhart Show, The Love Boat, The Simpsons, Will and Grace and That 70's Show.
His movie credits include Cold Turkey, The Happy Hooker, Rabbit Test, Christmas With the Kranks, Beethoven's 5th and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
In his youth, he was a boxer and worked as an acrobat with the Flying Zepleys.
He is survived by his wife, actor Suzanne Pleshette whom he married in 2000, and his three children, Francesca Poston, Jason Poston and Hudson Poston.