Anthony Clark Dead at 62: Yes, Dear Star and Boston Comedy Favorite Remembered by Mike O'Malley as Hilarious

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Clark, the stand-up comedian and actor best known for playing Greg Warner on the CBS sitcom "Yes, Dear," has died. He was 62.

Clark died Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to his friend and former co-star Mike O'Malley, who announced the news on social media Wednesday. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

"Anthony Clark died yesterday. He was a hilarious guy," O'Malley wrote. "When my wife Lisa and I were dating back in the mid-nineties, Anthony was already famous in Boston, regularly selling out comedy shows."

O'Malley added: "He was so unique — one of those comics who is laughing along with you at the absurdity of his stories and observations. I was a fan before I was a friend."

He said the two had spoken recently. "We spoke on the phone three weeks ago. He had us laughing loudly once again. Rest in peace, Tony."

Tributes pour in

Clark's longtime manager, Barry Katz, told People that the comedian's "undeniable joy, happiness, and love were contagious to all he worked with."

Comedian Nick Swardson, a close friend, also paid tribute on Instagram. "I had so many great times with this dude," Swardson wrote, adding that they shared "non stop laughs" and that he hoped Clark "is at peace now."

From Virginia to Boston comedy clubs

Clark was born April 4, 1964, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1986 with a degree in mass communication.

He showed an early talent for comedy, winning the Top College Comedian Award from the American Collegiate Talent Showcase while at Emerson.

Clark built his reputation on the Boston comedy scene in the late 1980s and 1990s, regularly selling out shows. O'Malley recalled seeing him perform at the Comedy Connection.

In a 2006 interview with The Comic's Comic, Clark described his love of stand-up.

"I love stand-up because the reaction is immediate. There's no director. There's no writer. No producer. There's just you. You just get out there and vent," he said.

Television career

After a series of guest roles in the early 1990s, Clark landed his first leading role in the NBC sitcom "Boston Common," which ran from 1996 to 1997. The series was created by fellow Emerson graduate Max Mutchnick, who later co-created "Will & Grace."

He followed with the ABC sitcom "Soul Man," which ran from 1997 to 1998.

Clark's biggest success came with "Yes, Dear," which ran on CBS for six seasons from 2000 to 2006. The show followed two couples, played by Clark, O'Malley, Jean Louisa Kelly and Liza Snyder, living under the same roof while raising their children.

Clark played Greg Warner, a slightly uptight and anxious husband and father, across 122 episodes. The series also earned Betty White an Emmy nomination for a 2003 guest appearance.

After "Yes, Dear" ended, Clark hosted the fourth season of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" in 2006.

His film credits included the TV movies "Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery" in 1998 and "Killing Cinderella" in 2000.

Remembered by fans

News of Clark's death prompted an outpouring from fans who remembered "Yes, Dear" as a staple of CBS' early-2000s comedy lineup, alongside shows such as "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The King of Queens."

Friends and colleagues described Clark as a generous performer whose humor came from finding the absurd in everyday life.

Information on survivors and memorial plans was not immediately available.