Richard Dunn of 'Tim and Eric Awesome Show' Dies

By Marc Schneider Posted Jun 4th 2010 05:21PM

Richard Dunn, a bespectacled and rail-thin actor known almost exclusively for playing a talk show host on 'Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!', has died at age 73. The Adult Swim show's co-creator, Tim Heidecker, broke the news Friday afternoon on Twitter. Heidecker said Dunn passed away at precisely 7:14 AM on Friday.

His agent, William Kerwin, told the AP that Dunn had been unconscious at a Hollywood hospital since Sunday. The cause of death is unknown.

On 'Tim and Eric,' Dunn delighted viewers with his trademark sweater, slurred speech and supremely odd questions for guests. Dunn appeared in several episodes of the show since 2007, and his segments -- think Charlie Rose with poor preparation -- were always memorable.

According to available bio information online, Dunn has only been working regularly in Hollywood for about two decades. Recently, he played Brett Favre on 'The Tonight Show' and had a cameo as a 110-year-old man on NBC's 'Parks and Recreation.'

Dunn's typo-riddled resume is a treasure trove of information on the character actor. He was a Navy veteran and served on the USS Dixie, a maintenance ship for destroyers. What he did upon leaving the service is unclear, but from 1977 to 2006, he played a "scary actor" during Halloween season at Universal Studios.

Along the way, he played "old man dancing" in a Tom Jones video and an "old man in hot tub with pretty girls" in P. Diddy's music video for 'Bad Boys for Life.' There were also a series of memorable Bud Light commercials in which he played an airline pilot.

Dunn also had small roles in 'The Wedding Singer,' 'Road to Perdition' and the Showtime series, 'Weeds,' his resume asserts.

But his biggest break came when he landed the recurring role as a warped version of himself on 'Tim and Eric,' a bizarre breed of comedy show that has the look and feel of public access television. Heidecker talked about his and Eric Wareheim's first encounter with Dunn in a 2007 AV Club interview:

"We actually saw him from our office, in the parking lot, getting out of his car, smoking a cigarette. He was wearing that sweater ... It was immediate to us. We looked at each other and jumped up and down. Then once he started talking, it was unbelievable."

Tags: richard dunn

Comments

(11)

Friday 04 June

By KT

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The end of anything Tim & Eric related should be celebrated not mourned. If that crapfest what the guy is best remembered for, my sympathies to his career

By Aron

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Richard Dunn was not a talk show host. He was an actor in MANY various sketches on T&EASGJ. He was my pep pep. RIP Rich Dunn.

By Brad

Oh my, they don't know the reason for his death? Um, maybe it was old age?

Saturday 05 June

By Tairy Greene

Richard Dunn was hilarious and a vital part of T&E. Sad to see him go.

And KT, is this really the time and place for pent up nerd rage? You don't like it then don't watch it, simple as that. Jeez, when you geeks don't like something you sure spend a lot of time talking about it. Get a life.

Monday 07 June

By Gnome

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Richard Dunn is one Handsome Man.

By shaughn

You will be missed Richard Dunn, it is truly a sad day. I've got seasons 1-4 of T&EASGJ on dvd. You brought a lot of laughter to myself as well as my friends. Your memory will live on forever.
RIP Mr. Dunn

By OLDERBLUE

GOOD NIGHT OL'FRIEND

By Erica

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So sad! RIP Pep Pep!

By Reginold Farge

We'll miss you pep pep. Now you can help us find our chippy from the stars. RIP

Sunday 11 July

By Hovo

Richard Dunn
Getting it Dunn since 1935.

RIP miss you already my pep pep.

By Invalidinc

Only one thing to say about this.. Richard Dunn."Great job" You will be missed pep pep.