Bill Macy, Actor Who Played Bea Arthur’s Husband Walter on ‘Maude,’ Dies at 97

He also appeared in the films “My Favorite Year,” “The Late Show” and “The Jerk”

Bill Macy
CBS

Bill Macy, best known for playing Bea Arthur’s husband Walter Findlay on the 1970s sitcom “Maude,” has died. He was 97.

“My buddy Bill Macy passed away at 7:13 p.m. tonight,” producer and manager Matt Beckoff wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. “He was a spitfire right up to the end. What an honor to book him for Gilbert Gottfried II Frank Santopadre and Dara Kravitz Gottfried podcast. It really was the cherry on top. He LOVED being on that show. My condolences to his beautiful wife Samantha Harper Macy.”

Beckoff did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

“Maude,” a spinoff of Norman Lear’s “All in the Family” (which Macy appeared on first, as a police officer) ran for six seasons on CBS from 1972 to 1978. Along with his parts on those two iconic Lear shows, Macy’s other small-screen credits include “Seinfeld,” “St. Elsewhere,” “The Facts of Life,” “My Name Is Earl,” “NYPD Blue,” “Back to You,” “Chicago Hope” and “Las Vegas.”

In his appearances on “Seinfeld,” Macy played one of the quirky residents of the Florida retirement community where Jerry’s parents lived.

Among his memorable film roles are the part of the jury foreman in “The Producers” (1967), the co-inventor of the “Opti-grab” in Steve Martin’s 1979 comedy “The Jerk,” and the head television writer in “My Favorite Year” (1982).

His other notable film credits include “The Late Show,” “Serial,” “Analyze This,” “Movers & Shakers,” “Surviving Christmas,” “The Holiday” and “Mr. Woodcock.”

Macy is survived by his wife Samantha Harper.

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