Paul Benedict, best known for his role on the TV sitcom "The Jefferson" passed away today at 70....I'll remember him as the cranky judge in the first Addams Family movie....
Link here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_en_tv/obit_benedict;_ylt=As2VvAkdLebQcBQDX59WzIBxFb8C
Bizarro Jeff
He turned up in a lot of favorites, like "They Might Be Giants", "The Front Page" (1974), "The Man with Two Brains" and "Waiting for Guffman".
He also had a part on Sesame Street for a while.
There was an article years ago in TV Guide that stated that he unknowingly had the same disease as Rondo Hatton. A doctor in the audience of a play in which he was performing recognized it from his elongated features and he was able to get treatment before it progressed too far.
I remember reading that - it was acromegaly.
Here's a link at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromegaly
Bizarro Jeff
I always through he was a very likable and competent character actor. I loved his scene in "Spinal Tap" ("I am just as God made me , Sir.") and I think it's often forgotten he was frequently on the early Sesame Street, "I'm going to paint a 7."
Michael