Johnny Hardwick, the voice actor best known for playing Dale Gribble on the animated sitcom King of the Hill, has died. He was 64.
Law enforcement was called to Hardwick’s Texas home on Tuesday for a welfare check and discovered his body. There was no foul play suspected and the cause of death is still unknown.
Hardwick is survived by his wife, Laura, and two children.
A memorial service will be held in Austin at a later date.
Johnny Hardwick Biography
Hardwick was born in Austin, Texas in 1959. He got his start in stand-up comedy in 1990 and eventually made appearances on The Jon Stewart Show and at L.A.’s The Laugh Factory and the Montreal Comedy Festival.
In 1997, Hardwick joined the cast of King of the Hill as Dale Gribble, a conspiracy theorist, gun fanatic, and exterminator. He voiced the character for all 13 seasons of the show, which ran from 1997 to 2010.
Hardwick was also a producer and writer on King of the Hill during the early seasons of the show. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 1999 and 2001.
In addition to King of the Hill, Hardwick had a number of other voice acting roles, including Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, and The Venture Bros. He also appeared in a number of live-action films and television shows, including The Drew Carey Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Reno 911!.