Night Court star Charlie Robinson dies at 75
Charlie Robinson, the veteran stage and screen actor known for playing the affable court clerk Mac Robinson on the long-running sitcom Night Court, died Sunday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 75.
His manager, Lisa DiSante, confirmed his death to EW, saying the cause was cardiac arrest with multisystem organ failures due to septic shock and metastatic adenocarcinoma.
Robinson's wife, Dolorita Noonan-Robinson, said in a statement, "Once referred to by Martin Landau as the 'greatest underestimated actor in Hollywood,' Charlie Robinson was the love of my life, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was truly the working actor's actor, and of all his passions, his craft took center stage, with his family being the wind beneath his wings, so he could soar to unbelievable heights! On behalf of my husband and family, I thank you for being a part of the audience."
Angela Weiss/Getty Charlie Robinson
Robinson appeared on all but the first of Night Court's nine seasons, starring opposite Harry Anderson as an eccentric judge, John Larroquette as a narcissistic prosecutor, and Markie Post as a guileless public defender.
In a career spanning 50 years, Robinson amassed stage credits including The Whipping Man, Fences, and Death of a Salesman; film credits including Set It Off, Antwone Fisher, Even Money, and The House Bunny; and TV credits including Buffalo Bill, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, House, Hart of Dixie, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, and Mom. Robinson was also a longtime member of the Actors Studio.
One of Robinson's final projects was a production of James Anthony Tyler's play Some Old Black Man, in which he starred opposite Wendell Pierce. Paying tribute to his late costar Monday, Pierce wrote on social media, "By chance, we created a friendship in 27 days that only happens with a shared vision. In that short time he became mentor to me as I questioned if my best days had passed. By example he showed hope."
We had a mission to find a way to create our art while the world was shut down. By chance, we created a friendship in 27 days that only happens with a shared vision. In that short time he became mentor to me as I questioned if my best days had passed. By example he showed hope.
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) July 13, 2021
In addition to his wife, Robinson is survived by his children, Luca, Charlie, Christian, and Byron, as well as his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and dog Nala.
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