Anthony Clark, the Lovable TV Dad of 'Yes, Dear' and a Boston Comedy Favorite, Dies at 62

Anthony Clark, the stand-up comedian and Boston club favorite who spent six seasons as the harried, good-hearted dad Greg Warner on CBS's "Yes, Dear," died on Tuesday, Nov. 10. He was 62 ^[1][4].

Deadline reported that Clark died of complications related to pneumonia, though no official cause of death has been publicly confirmed, IBTimes UK and PinkNews noted ^[3][4]. The Hollywood Reporter had said earlier that a cause was not immediately available, according to IBTimes UK ^[3].

A Co-Star's Goodbye

The news came from the man who stood beside him for all six seasons. Mike O'Malley, who played neighbor Jimmy Hughes on the series, announced Clark's death on Wednesday on X and Instagram ^[3]. O'Malley wrote that he and his wife, Lisa, first saw Clark perform at The Comedy Connection in Boston while they were dating in the mid-1990s, when Clark was already famous in that city and regularly selling out shows ^[1][4].

"I was a fan before I was a friend," O'Malley wrote ^[4]. He said the two had last spoken by phone three weeks ago and that Clark had them laughing loudly once again, and he signed off by calling his friend "Tony" ^[2][3]. O'Malley also posted snapshots from the final episode of the show, which wrapped twenty years ago ^[1].

"Yes, Dear" co-creator Greg Garcia told Deadline that he had been lucky to know some of the funniest people in the world, and that Clark had "the most insane sense of humor of all of them" ^[1]. Garcia said the two had reconnected over the past two or three years and kept up monthly phone calls. When Garcia decided to try stand-up for the first time, Clark was full of joy and encouragement and offered advice about the craft and life on the road, Garcia said ^[1]. He added that he was glad Clark brought so much joy and laughter into the world ^[1].

Clark's longtime manager, Barry Katz, called him one of the funniest and most talented comedian-actors he had ever watched, PinkNews reported ^[4]. Fellow comedians Nick Swardson and Dane Cook also shared tributes, according to IBTimes UK ^[3].

From Lynchburg to Prime Time

Clark was born on April 4, 1964, in Lynchburg, Virginia, and had worked in film and television since 1991, IBTimes UK reported ^[3]. He built his name in the clubs, and his early screen work included the films "Dogfight" and "The Thing Called Love," along with a spot on HBO's 1995 "Young Comedians" special ^[3][4].

Moviegoers may remember him as the flamboyant hairdresser in the action hit "The Rock" ^[2][4]. On television, he headlined "Boston Common" and played the Rev. Todd Tucker on the late-1990s comedy "Soul Man" ^[2][3].

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He never seemed to take his own success too seriously. In a 2006 interview with The Comic's Comic quoted by IBTimes UK, he said, "I don't know why people think I'm funny. But I'm glad they do." ^[3]

The Show That Made Him a TV Dad

His defining role arrived in 2000. "Yes, Dear" followed two couples with very different ideas about raising children who end up living under the same roof, and Clark often played the steady straight man while chaos swirled around him ^[3][4]. The series ran on CBS for six seasons, from 2000 to 2006, alongside O'Malley, Jean Louisa Kelly and Liza Snyder ^[1][2].

IBTimes UK described him as a wholesome sitcom dad to millions of viewers ^[3]. That is worth remembering. At a time when much of television was racing to shock its audience, "Yes, Dear" found its laughs in the everyday comedy of marriage, in-laws, bedtimes and the small humiliations every young parent knows. It was the kind of show a family could watch together, and many did.

The same year the series ended, Clark returned to his first love as host of the fourth season of the stand-up competition "Last Comic Standing" ^[2][3]. He later appeared in the film "My Uncle Rafael" and the series "West of Liberty," IBTimes UK reported ^[3].

What lingers most in the tributes is not a credit list but a phone call: three weeks before he died, the two actors who played bickering neighbors were still making each other laugh. For a comedian, there may be no better way to be remembered.

Liberty Bell Report extends its prayers and condolences to Anthony Clark's family, friends and fans.