'Murphy Brown' Star Charles Kimbrough Dead at 86

Charles Kimbrough -- a longstanding star on the sitcom 'Murphy Brown' -- has died.

His son confirmed the news to the New York Times, saying his father had passed almost a month ago ... way back on Jan. 11 in Culver City, CA. No other details about a cause of death were released.

The actor will certainly best be remembered as Jim Dial on the '80s/'90s hit show, where he played cranky veteran TV anchor, Jim Dial -- who delivered the news alongside Candice Bergen's Murphy, and who was shaped after Walter Cronkite and other legacy newsmen.

He starred on 'MB' for all 10 seasons, and he even got an Emmy nomination one year for his performance. Kimbrough returned to the role for a few episodes in the 2018 reboot as well.

Before TV, Kimbrough was a steady theater actor ... having starred in lots of Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including Stephen Sondheim's "Company."

Prior to his big break on 'Murphy,' Kimbrough had guest starred in a number of other hit TV series ... like "Kojak," "All My Children," "American Playhouse," "Spenser: For Hire," "Another World," "Hothouse" and more. He had also acted in several movies through the '70s and '80s.

It wasn't until the '90s that Kimbrough showed off a new skill ... voice acting. He lent his vocal talents to famous kids shows like "Dinosaurs," "Mighty Max," "Pinky and the Brain," "Recess," "Hercules," "The Angry Beavers," "Batman Beyond," and others.

Of course, he also famously voiced one of the gargoyles in 1996's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," playing Victor. He reprised this character for both the sequel and video game spinoffs.

Kimbrough is survived by his son, John. He was 86