David Smyrl Dies: ‘Sesame Street’s Mr. Handford Was 80
Sesame Street actor David Smyrl has died. Best known for his role as Mr. Handford, the retired firefighter who ran Mr. Hooper’s store on the long-running PBS children’s series, Smyrl died Tuesday of lung cancer in Philadelphia, according to Philly.com He was 80.
The writer, actor, singer and voice-over artist began his TV career in New York in 1970 on the show Express Yourself. After a role in Broadway musical Working, he continued his TV work in Los Angeles, as a writer on Benson and as a gag writer, audience warm-up man and actor on The Cosby Show, playing contractor Sam Lucas in five episodes from 1985-87. He appeared on Sesame Street from 1991-95,
Smyrl also worked in film. He had a small role in The Preacher’s Wife opposite Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston and appeared in The Dream Keeper, a documentary about the poet Langston Hughes. His voice-over work included commercials for Texaco, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Canada Dry, Delta Air Lines, and GMC. He most recently appeared on syndicated TV series Heavy Sedation in 2006, according to IMDb.
Related stories
David Gregory Named CNN Political Analyst
Byron Allen Asks FCC To Investigate Comcast's Minority Programming Efforts
Ted Cruz Makes First 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Visit Wednesday
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
