Harry Anderson, the actor and comedian best known for playing the eccentric Judge Harry T. Stone on the NBC sitcom *Night Court*, died on April 16, 2018, at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. He was 65 years old. The cause of death was a stroke brought on by influenza and underlying heart disease, according to reports.
His ashes were given to family members. Anderson’s path to television stardom began on the streets, where he reportedly performed street magic and ran shell games in cities like Chicago, New York, St. Louis,and New Orleans. He once had his jaw broken while working a shell game, a formative experience from his early years as a street performer.
After moving to California, he joined the Dante Magic Club and worked as a street magicianin San Francisco. He graduated from North Hollywood High Schoolin 1970 as class valedictorianand later attended Fullerton College. He also lived in Ashland, Oregon, where he performed magic and worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Anderson’s career gained traction through multiple appearances on *Saturday Night Live*, which led to his role as Harry the Hat on episodes of *Cheers*.
This ultimately paved the way for his breakout role on*Night Court*,which aired from 1984 to 1992. His portrayal of the wisecracking, magic-loving judge earned him three Emmy nominations. A longtime fan of singer Mel Tormé,Anderson even got Tormé to appear on the show several times as a recurring character. In 1987, he headlined the comedy-magic special*Harry Anderson’s Sideshow*.
In 1990,he starred in the television adaptation of Stephen King’s *It*. From 1993 to 1997,he led the sitcom*Dave’s World*,which was loosely based on the humorous newspaper columns of Dave Barry. In 2002,Anderson moved from Pasadena, California,to New Orleans,where he opened a small magic shop anda nightclub called Oswald’s Speak Easyin the French Quarter. There, he performed a one-man show titled*Wiseguy*.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005,Anderson initially refused to evacuate. He eventually left only after firefighters at a nearby station told him they were leaving. In November 2008,he appeared as himself on an episode of*30 Rock*,alongside fellow *Night Court* cast members Markie Post and Charles Robinson,both of whom have since passed away. later years, Anderson moved with his second wife, Elizabeth Morgan,from New Orleans to Asheville,North Carolina,in 2006.
He had been married twice: first to Leslie Pollock from 1977 until their divorce in 1999,and they had two children together. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Morgan,but the couple wedin 2000. late 2018,Anderson suffereda bout of influenza,which was followed by several strokes.
He passed away quietly in his sleep, with his death receiving comparatively little national media attention at the time.
