Charlie Robinson, an actor best known for his long run as court clerk Mac Robinson on the sitcom “Night Court,” has died at age 75, the Hollywood trades report.
Robinson died Sunday at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to his manager, Lisa DiSante-Frank. The cause was cardiac arrest with multisystem organ failures due to septic shock, and metastatic adenocarcinoma.
In his teens, the Houston native sang with a local group that later became known nationally, Archie Bell and the Drells. He was a busy stage, film and TV actor when he landed his first regular sitcom role in 1983, as makeup man Newdell on NBC’s “Buffalo Bill,” starring Dabney Coleman.
After its cancellation, Robinson stepped in at NBC’s “Night Court” during its second season. He would stay there until the show’s end in 1992.
“Charlie Robinson was one of the great ones,” tweeted “Night Court” co-star Marsha Warfield on Monday.
Later in 1992, he joined another series already in progress: “Love & War” on CBS, filling a void left by the death of show regular John Hancock.
In a statement at the time, show creator Diane English called Robinson “one of those unique actors who can play a cantankerous character to the hilt and still be lovable.”
Recent credits include the teleplay “Some Old Black Man” and the stage play “The Last Romance,” in which he appeared with Michael Learned.
Contributing: AP
