Paxton Whitehead, the Tony-nominated British actor best known for his raunchy roles in “Mad About You” and the Rodney Dangerfield comedy “Back to School,” died Friday at age 85, according to his son, Charles Whitehead. happened.
In the latter feature film, he played the memorable role of Dr. Barbe, the despotic dean of the business school, who is horrified to learn that Rodney Dangerfield’s middle-aged character has bribed his way into college. Whitehead had a recurring role as “Halle Conway’s neighbor” on the 90s sitcom “Mad About You”. The actor also made guest appearances on several series, including “Frasier” and “Friends.”
Actress Dana Ive remembered him fondly on Twitter: “I just heard that my dear friend Paxton Whitehead died on Friday the 16th. We first worked together in ‘My Fair Lady’ in 1964 and Last worked in ‘Importance of Being Earnest’ in 2010 – Friends for 59 years. I loved him dearly. Heartbroken.
“Best in Show” actor Jim Piddock also paid tribute to the actor on Twitter, calling him “an extraordinary actor, a wonderful friend and a truly wonderful human being.”
The Broadway veteran, who memorably appeared in “Beyond the Fringe” with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in 1962, won the Tony Award for Drama and Drama for his performance as the comically elderly Knight Pellinor in the 1980 revival of “Camelot.” Desk Award nomination. Early in his career, he was signed by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Whitehead also served as artistic director of Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada from 1967–1977, and he began to regard himself as “kind of a Canadian actor”, as he said in 1997,
Whitehead is survived by his son Charles and daughter Alex.
