Johnny Hardwick, the voice actor, producer, author and comic finest identified for voicing Dale Gribble on the animated collection “King of the Hill,” was discovered useless Tuesday in his house in Austin, Texas. He was 64.
Police discovered Hardwick deceased at his home after responding to an pressing welfare verify, officers confirmed to The Occasions. No foul play is suspected, and his reason behind dying will likely be decided by Austin’s health worker’s workplace.
Hardwick voiced Gribble, a chain-smoking exterminator/bounty hunter with a powerful Texas accent, all through the Fox program’s unique 13-year run from 1997 to 2010. He additionally was a author, producer and story editor on the present.
Hardwick shared an Emmy for excellent animated program in 1999, alongside present creators Mike Choose and Greg Daniels. He was nominated for a similar award in 2001 and 2002.
“Johnny Hardwick was an extremely beloved member of the ‘King of the Hill’ household, whose great expertise, sensible humor and friendship will likely be deeply missed by all who had been lucky sufficient to work with him over the previous 25 years,” twentieth Tv Animation and Hulu mentioned in an announcement to The Occasions.
“Our deepest condolences exit to his family and friends as we mourn the lack of one of many animation greats. His voice gave life to one in all our most iconic characters, and he will likely be really missed.”
Born John Michael Hardwick in Austin, the Emmy winner began as a stand-up comedian in 1990, a decade after graduating from Texas Tech College. He was featured on “The Jon Stewart Present” and carried out on the Montreal Comedy Pageant. Hardwick was doing a gig at L.A.’s Snort Manufacturing unit when he was approached by Choose and Daniels, who had been trying to forged him of their still-in-the-works present “King of the Hill.”
Exterior of his most acknowledged function, Hardwick appeared on the fact reveals “Ace of Truffles” in 2009 and “Boomer vs. Zoomer” in 2019. He additionally voiced Gribble within the 2000 “King of the Hill” PC recreation.
Hardwick was scheduled to reprise his function as Gribble within the Hulu revival of the Texas-based animated collection, which was ordered by the streaming platform earlier this 12 months.
The voice actor additionally ran a YouTube channel the place he would carry out covers of well-known tunes in Gribble‘s voice.
A number of of Hardwick’s “King of the Hill” castmates paid tribute to their co-star after listening to the information.
Pamela Adlon, who voiced Bobby Hill within the collection, shared a photograph of herself, Hardwick and plenty of “King of the Hill” forged members on Instagram.
“Johnny was essentially the most distinctive tender hearted soiled footed sneakily gifted mercurial creature,” Adlon wrote. “The recollections are deep and lengthy. Sha sha! WINGO! RIP Johnny——you you left your buttprint!!”
“Johnny. God relaxation him,” wrote David Herman, who voiced varied characters on the Emmy-winning program.
Breckin Meyer, who performed Hardwick’s son, Joseph, tweeted an homage to his TV dad in an X publish.
“Was fortunate sufficient to have Johnny Hardwick as my pops Dale for nearly a decade,” Meyer wrote. “He will likely be so rattling missed! RIP.”
