Yahoo Lifestyle Robert Machray Dies: Character Actor Who Played Fire Marshal Dobbins On ‘Cheers’ Was 79
Robert Machray, whose prolific, decades-long career as a character actor included appearances on Three’s Company, Roseanne, Suddenly Susan, The Drew Carey Show and, in a four-episode recurring role as Fire Marshal Dobbins on Cheers, died Sunday, January 12, at his home in North Hollywood. He was 79.
His death was announced on Facebook by husband Luigi Camperchioli, who said Machray suffered from dementia.
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In addition to his TV career, Machray frequently appeared on stage, including in the 1999 Broadway production of Amadeus, playing the role of Salieri’s Cook opposite Michael Sheen and David Suchet. Numerous regional and Off Broadway stage credits include roles in Waiting for Godot (at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum), The Boys Next Door, Austin Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow and Threepenny Opera.
Born May 4, 1945, in San Diego, Machray made his TV debut in the 1977 NBC TV-movie Panic in Echo Park starring Dorian Harewood. That same year he appeared on the sitcom Operation Petticoat, and then became a steady TV presence with appearances throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Among his more recent credits were guest roles on Girlfriends, Criminal Minds and Kitchen Confidential; his final credit was an appearance on a 2011 episode of Parks and Recreation.
But Machray probably is best known for playing the often-pranked Fire Marshal Dobbins on Cheers, whose regulars thought he was a plant from the rival bar Gary’s Old Town Tavern. He appeared in four episodes from 1990-93, including the widely watched series finale.
Film credits include 1989’s Cutting Class and 2002’s The Master of Disguise. Voice roles include the video games Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II (2001) and The Dark Eye (1995).
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