Anthony Clark, Star of CBS Sitcom ‘Yes, Dear,’ Dies at 62

By Marcus Bennett

Anthony Clark, the Virginia comedian who played Greg Warner in CBS’s ‘Yes, Dear,’ died November 10 at 62, according to Eric Alper’s obituary.

From tobacco farm to comedy stage

Alper’s account places Clark’s birth on April 4, 1964, in Lynchburg, Virginia. His father worked in a factory, and his mother ran a general store. At 12, Clark moved with his family to a tobacco farm in nearby Gladys, Virginia.

Clark found his calling at Boston’s Emerson College. The school named him College Entertainer of the Year. He graduated in 1986 with a degree in mass communications, then headed west to Los Angeles comedy clubs.

Before television turned him into a familiar network presence, Clark had already developed an everyman manner that joined physical comedy, sly timing and down-home warmth.

Alper describes him as a “boyish, big hearted Virginia comedian.” The obituary adds that “his gift for physical comedy and sly timing” made him a favourite with audiences and fellow comics alike.

Before ‘Yes, Dear’

The 1995 HBO special ‘Young Comedians,’ hosted by Garry Shandling, placed Clark alongside Dave Chappelle, Dave Attell and Louis C.K. and marked the breakthrough identified by Alper. That same year, he voiced a character on ‘Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist’ and joined ‘Ellen’ in a recurring role.

His film credits had begun earlier. He appeared in ‘Dogfight’ in 1991 and in Peter Bogdanovich’s ‘The Thing Called Love’ in 1993, alongside River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis and Dermot Mulroney. In the 1996 film ‘The Rock,’ Clark played Paul, the flamboyant hotel barber. Alper says audiences howled at his scene-stealing turn.

Clark then took his first starring role as Boyd Pritchett in ‘Boston Common.’ He played the character for 32 episodes from 1996 to 1997. He followed with 25 episodes as Reverend Todd Tucker opposite Dan Aykroyd in ‘Soul Man.’ He also appeared as a letter carrier on ‘Sesame Street.’

‘Yes, Dear’ and Greg Warner

Alper dates Clark’s casting as Greg Warner to 2000. Across six seasons and 122 episodes, Clark played the devoted husband to Jean Louisa Kelly’s Kim and developed a relaxed chemistry with co-star Mike O’Malley. The obituary says the role won over millions of television viewers as a lovable, easygoing character.

The part brought Clark and Kelly a shared Young Artist Award nomination for television’s Most Popular Mom and Dad. It also brought Clark a Prism Award nomination.

In 2005, Clark and O’Malley brought their comic chemistry to country star Alan Jackson’s music video for ‘The Talkin’ Song Repair Blues.’ Their partnership at CBS now reached from domestic sitcom comedy into country music.

After the sitcom

After ‘Yes, Dear’ wrapped in 2006, Clark hosted NBC’s ‘Last Comic Standing’ for its fourth season. Alper describes his work as championing the next generation of stand-up comedians.

His later credits widened a career that had begun with Los Angeles club stages, a 1986 college degree and early television parts before ‘Yes, Dear.’

His later work included ‘Killing Cinderella,’ ‘Paid in Full,’ ‘Say Uncle’ and ‘Grad Night.’ In 2012, he starred as Jack Schumacher in the award-winning comedy ‘My Uncle Rafael,’ opposite Missi Pyle and John Michael Higgins. He also appeared in the 2019 series ‘West of Liberty.’

What does Clark’s death leave for television comedy?

For viewers of ‘Yes, Dear,’ Clark’s death changes the context of every rerun, not the episodes themselves. Greg Warner’s goofy, good-natured grin and the physical comedy around Kelly and O’Malley remain part of the six-season record. Alper’s obituary places Clark’s down-home charm at the center of that longevity.

Every future rerun will restore Greg Warner to the room, but it will also carry the knowledge that the performer behind that grin died on November 10.