Richard Erdman, best known to TV audiences for his recurring role on Community, died on Saturday at the age of 93.
Erdman played octogenarian Greendale student Leonard, who was first introduced in the fifth episode of Season 1, “Advanced Criminal Law.” He’d go on to appear in 53 episodes throughout all six seasons of the NBC-turned-Yahoo sitcom, which ran from 2009-2015.
It was revealed in the Season 6 premiere that Leonard had attended Greendale since 1975. Erdman’s scenes typically involved the elderly student cracking wise at the expense of Jeff and the study group, before one of them fired back and said, “Shut up, Leonard,” before revealing something utterly ridiculous about him.
“I knew the day we’d have to say goodbye to this lovely man would come sooner than any of us were ready. But knowing that doesn’t make it any easier,” Community star Yvette Nicole Brown wrote on Twitter. “Richard Erdman was JOY walking. Anyone who saw him on Community gleefully stealing every scene he was in knows that’s true.”
Fellow Greendale alumni Ken Jeong also paid tribute. “Thank you for blessing us with your brilliance,” he said, while also posting a selection of his favorite Erdman scenes to social media. Meanwhile, Joel McHale remembered Erdman as “a good and funny man… We’ll miss you ‘Leonard.’”
Erdman worked steadily as a character actor for over 70 years. His credits included episodes of Alice, The Bionic Woman, Cheers, Felicity, Lou Grant, One Day at a Time and Beverly Hills, 90210. He also lent his voice to numerous cartoons, including The Smurfs, DuckTales and Batman: The Animated Series.
His passing was first reported by film historian Alan K. Rode. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Source: Read Full Article