Robert Donner, a character actor who specialized in playing eccentrics, including the crazed prophet Exidor on the popular sitcom “Mork & Mindy,” has died. He was 75.
Mr. Donner, who appeared in more than 100 films and television shows, died Thursday of a heart attack at his home in the San Fernando Valley, according to Michael Belson, his former agent.
On “Mork & Mindy,” Mr. Donner led an invisible cult called the Friends of Venus on the ABC show that aired from 1978 to 1982. Whenever the friends only Exidor could see got in the way, he uttered his signature phrase –“Mork! Is that you?”–to series star Robin Williams.
“Bobby was very, very skilled at comedy. He worked all the time in an era when they were phasing out character actors,” said Michael Lembeck, whose father, Harvey, taught Mr. Donner at comedy-improv workshops. “And he had a very droll, very dry sense of humor.”
That was evident in Mr. Donner’s official biography, which mentions he joined the Navy after high school, “serving three years, 11 months, 29 days, and six and one-half hours.”
While living in a Los Angeles apartment, he became friends with a neighbor–Clint Eastwood. Eastwood thought Mr. Donner was funny and urged him to study acting, according to Donner’s biography.
With uncredited roles in two John Wayne westerns–“Rio Bravo” (1959) and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962)–Mr. Donner started building a career.
Among Mr. Donner’s film credits are “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), “Vanishing Point” (1971), “High Plains Drifter” (1973) and “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing” (1973).
His final film, the family comedy “Hoot,” was released last month.
“I guess I’m like the rest of my fellow character actors,” Mr. Donner said in 1988. “I keep my guns loaded and go where the action is.”
On television, Mr. Donner also had a long-running role as Yancy Tucker on “The Waltons” (CBS, 1972-81). He appeared in dozens of television series, including “Columbo,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “MacGyver,” “The Fall Guy,” “Matlock” and “Falcon Crest.”
