King of the Hill Star Johnny Hardwick Dead at 64
Dale Gribble actor Johnny Hardwick, who starred in 'King of the Hill' and had a long career in stand-up comedy, has died.
Johnny Hardwick, who played the conspiracy theory-loving Dale Gribble on the long-running animated sitcom King of the Hill, has died. He was 64 years old. Hardwick appeared in over 250 episodes of the original King of the Hill, which hails from Beavis and Butt-Head and Office Space creator Mike Judge. The actor was expected to return for the upcoming revival of the series, although at present, it is not clear whether he actually recorded any lines for the new show. King of the Hill has been off the air for 12 years, but has always felt like a piece of American popular culture given its frequent reruns.
A native of Austin, Texas, Hardwick graduated with a degree in journalism from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He would go on to be a bartender and then stand-up comedian in the area before breaking into Hollywood with a stand-up appearance on The Jon Stewart Show. He was the first comedian ever to perform on the show, which ran from 1993 to 1995 on MTV and in syndication.
Hardwick was an in-demand comedian, with NBC and MTV both trying to get him to star in shows that never quite materialized. It was after meeting Judge and helping to develop King of the Hill that Hardwick found the role of a lifetime, allowing him to focus on King of the Hill while still performing stand-up. He rarely acted in live-action, but was never share about revisiting the role of Dale, doing so in viral internet videos as well as in video games and a Barenaked Ladies music video.
According to TMZ, police were called to Hardwick's home on Tuesday for a welfare check, where they discovered his body. He was declared dead at the scene, but there does not appear to have been any foul play at this point.
During his time on King of the Hill, Hardwick served as staff writer, story editor, and producer for the show as well as voicing Dale and occasionally grabbing another minor role. During his time on the show, Hardwick had four Prime Time Emmy nominations, and in 1999 he won an Emmy Award for the series (as a producer, for the show as a whole, not specifically for acting as Dale).
Following the end of King of the Hill, Hardwick created a YouTube channel, where he has been active for more than a decade. Primarily, he does song parodies and monologues, often in Dale's voice, giving him an outlet to remain engaged with his fans.
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