'Maude' Star Bill Macy Dies at 97: 'He Was a Spitfire Right Up to the End'

The actor played Bea Arthur's husband on the 1970s CBS sitcom

Published on October 18, 2019 01:37 PM

Bill Macy, the actor who played Bea Arthur‘s husband on Maude, has died. He was 97.

Macy’s friend, producer and manager Matt Beckoff, announced the news Thursday on Facebook.

“My buddy Bill Macy passed away at 7:13pm tonight,” he wrote. “He was a spitfire right up to the end.”

“My condolences to his beautiful wife Samantha Harper Macy,” he added.

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On All in the Family spinoff Maude, Macy played Walter Findlay, Maude’s long-suffering husband. The CBS sitcom ran for six seasons from 1972 to 1978.

Macy’s other TV credits include Seinfeld, St. Elsewhere, My Name Is Earl, The Love Boat, One Big Family and The Facts of Life.

He also played Sy Benson, the head writer of a 1950s sketch comedy show, in the 1982 film My Favorite Year.

Macy is survived by his wife, actress Samantha Harper. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they met in the late ’60s when both were in the original Broadway production of Oh! Calcutta!