Marvin Kaplan, a prolific character actor best known for his recurring role as Henry Beesmeyer on the 1976-85 sitcom Alice and as the voice of Choo-Choo on the cartoon Top Cat has died. He was 89 and died from natural causes in his Burbank home.
Born in Brooklyn in 1927, Kaplan’s first film role came in 1949’s Adam’s Rib. His next major role was as a regular on the sitcom Meet Millie, on which he played Alfred Prinzmetal. He was with the show in its radio incarnation from 1951-54 and on television from 1952-56. He went on to appear in a range of films including Angels in the Outfield, The Nutty Professor, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Freaky Friday, Midnight Madness, and more.
Kaplan’s voice became familiar to generations of children thanks to his work on the cartoon series Top Cat from 1961-62. Voicing Choo-Choo, the pink, turtleneck-clad cat, he reprised the role for 1987’s Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats. He also voiced characters on Garfield and Friends, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Johnny Bravo, and 2011’s The Garfield Show among others.
In 1977, he was cast in as Henry Beesmeyer, a telephone lineman who complained about the cooking at Mel’s Diner on the Linda Lavin-starring sitcom Alice. He stayed with the show through the rest of its 9-season run and is one of the long-running show’s most remembered supporting characters. Kaplan would later hold a recurring role on Ted Danson’s sitcom Becker, playing Mr. Gordon.
Kaplan was also a playwright and screenwriter, and was a member of Theatre West for decades. A memorial service will be held at Theatre West with date and time to be announced in the coming week.
