Ron Masak, a prolific character actor best known to television audiences as Sheriff Mort Metzger on “Murder, She Wrote,” died Thursday of natural causes, his family announced, He was 86 years old.
Masak died just nine days after “Murder, She Wrote” star Angels Lansbury, who died on October 10 at the age of 96.
Born in Chicago in 1936, Masak began his entertainment career while serving in the US Army before moving to Los Angeles. He made his debut in 1960 in an episode of “The Twilight Zone”. He appeared in several notable productions of the era, including “The Monkees,” “Ice Station Zebra,” “Bewitched,” and “The Flying Nun” among others.
He worked continuously during the 1970s and ’80s, making appearances on shows such as “Different Strokes” and “Quincy, ME”, but it was his regularly recurring role on “Murder, She Wrote” as Sheriff Metzger, that Masak was the most familiar to the audience. He first appeared in the role in 1988 during the show’s 5th season, and played Metzger a total of 41 times before the show ended.
He was also known as the “King of Ads” for his frequent work in advertising, notably voicing the Groucho Marx-inspired stork.
He was also known as the “King of Ads” for his frequent work in advertising, notably voicing the Groucho Marx-inspired stork in Vlasic pickle commercials for 15 years.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kay, and their children and grandchildren.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.