Pat Finn, a veteran character actor best known for his roles on the TV comedies \u201cThe Middle,\u201d \u201cEd\u201d and \u201cMarvin Marvin,\u201d died Dec. 22 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 60.<\/p>\n
Finn had been battling bladder cancer for several years. Finn\u2019s family issued a statement that noted the actor\u2019s love of college football and the Chicago Bears NFL team. \u201cThey also ask you to be kind, to try and make one person\u2019s life a little easier every day and to Bear Down. It\u2019s what Pat would want, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Finn worked steadily in film and TV from the mid-1990s on. Early in his career, he was a member of the Second City improv troupe, where he worked with Chris Farley.<\/p>\n
Finn\u2019s most prominent role in recent years was a recurring character on \u201cThe Middle,\u201d the domestic comedy that ran on ABC from 2009 to 2018. He played Bill Norwood, a friendly but quirky neighbor of the Heck family at the heart of the series. On the Nickelodeon live-action series \u201cMarvin Marvin,\u201d which aired from 2012 to 2013, Finn played the patriarch of a family who takes in an alien teenage boy from another planet.<\/p>\n
The actor\u2019s long list of credits included guest shots on a host of notable TV series, from \u201cSeinfeld,\u201d \u201cFriends\u201d and \u201cCurb Your Enthusiasm,\u201d to \u201cThe Goldbergs,\u201d \u201cTwo Broke Girls,\u201d \u201cYes, Dear\u201d and \u201cThe Bernie Mac Show.\u201d His film work included \u201cDude, Where\u2019s My Car,\u201d \u201cFunky Monkey,\u201d \u201cI Love You, Beth Cooper,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Complicated\u201d and \u201cSelfie Dad.\u201d He was also featured in commercial spots for H&R Block, DiGiorno Pizza and Toyota and the milk industry\u2019s \u201cGot Milk\u201d campaign.<\/p>\n
Born in 1965, Finn grew up in Wilmette, Ill. He graduated from Marquette University in 1987 with a degree in speech. Farley, who went on to fame in \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d and movies but died of a drug overdose in 1997 at age 33, was a classmate and rugby teammate of Finn.<\/p>\n
After college, Finn worked in improv out of Chicago and joined the touring company of Second City. His big boost in TV came with a series regular role on \u201cThe George Wendt Show,\u201d which lasted only eight episodes on CBS in 1995. Finn and \u201cCheers\u201d alum Wendt played bachelor brothers who ran an auto repair shop in Madison, Wisconsin. From 1995 to 1997, Finn had a recurring role on CBS\u2019 \u201cMurphy Brown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other TV roles on Finn\u2019s long resume include \u201cCaroline in the City,\u201d \u201cThat 70s Show,\u201d \u201cThe King of Queens,\u201d \u201cThird Rock From the Sun,\u201d \u201cAccording to Jim,\u201d \u201cLess Than Perfect,\u201d \u201cThe Drew Carey Show,\u201d \u201cMy Boys,\u201d \u201cThe Suite Life of Zack and Cody\u201d and \u201cWizards of Waverly Place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finn also worked as an adjunct professor and taught Improv for Strategic Communication at University of Colorado, and he taught at his alma mater, Marquette. \u201cHe loved sharing the joys of improv and the gospel of \u2018yes, and\u2019 with anyone who was willing to learn,\u201d the Finn family said.<\/p>\n
Finn is survived by his wife of 35 years, Donna Crowley Finn, and three children, Cassidy, Caitlin and Ryan.<\/p>\n
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