Actor Arthur Hill dies at 84
Mia Smith Arthur Hill, a Tony winner who also starred in the TV series “Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law,” has died. He was 84.
Hill died Sunday at a Pacific Palisades, Calif., care facility after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, his friend Walter Seltzer said Thursday.
Hill won a Tony Award in 1962 for his performance as George in the original production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” He played the embattled character for 15 months on Broadway and an additional three months in London.
In “Owen Marshall,” which ran from 1971-74, he starred as an earnest, congenial lawyer who ran a small law office with one younger partner, played by Lee Majors.
Throughout his career, the actor, who was born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, in 1922, was most recognizable playing distinguished, affable characters. He moved to the U.K. in 1948 and performed in a variety of stage productions, then moved to New York 10 years later and established himself on Broadway.
Hill made his Broadway debut opposite Ruth Gordon in “The Matchmaker” and went on to star in stage hits like “Look Homeward Angel.”
Hill balanced stage, film and TV, appearing in such films as “Harper,” “Petulia,” “The Chairman,” “Rabbit, Run,” “The Andromeda Strain” and “The Pursuit of Happiness.” In “The Killer Elite,” he played against type, portraying a villain. More recently, he performed in such films as “A Bridge Too Far,” “The Champ,” “A Little Romance,” “Making Love” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes.” His last film roles came in “One Magic Christmas” (1985) and Blake Edwards’ “A Fine Mess” (1986).
Hill is survived by his wife, Anne-Sophie Taraba; son Douglas; stepdaughter Daryn Sherman; and two sisters, Pat and Eunice of Winnipeg.
Seltzer said there will be no funeral per Hill’s request.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
