Johnny Hardwick, the acclaimed voice actor, comedian, and producer celebrated for his portrayal of Dale Gribble in Fox’s enduring animated comedy “King of the Hill,” has tragically passed away at 64, as announced by the show’s producers. No cause of death has been disclosed.
20th Television Animation and Hulu issued a joint statement, expressing their deep sadness and condolences: “Johnny Hardwick was an incredibly cherished member of the ‘King of the Hill’ family, whose immense talent, brilliant humor, and friendship will be dearly missed by all who had the honor of working with him over the past quarter-century. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family as we mourn the loss of one of the animation greats. His voice brought to life one of our most iconic characters; he will be truly missed.”
Hardwick’s contribution to “King of the Hill” extended beyond voice acting; he also served as a writer and story editor during his tenure on the show, which spanned over 200 episodes. His work as a producer on the series earned him an Emmy Award in 1999 for the outstanding animated program. He was nominated for the same award two more times.
The character of Dale Gribble, a key supporting role in “King of the Hill,” was known for his constant paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories. The show, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, ran for thirteen seasons and 259 episodes from 1997 to 2010. Hardwick lent his voice to Dale throughout the entire run and appeared in 257 of the series’ 258 episodes.
Born in Austin, Texas, Hardwick kickstarted his career as a local stand-up comedian. His performance on “The Jon Stewart Show” and a routine at Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory comedy club caught the attention of Daniels and Judge, the creators of MTV’s “Beavis and Butt-Head.” The duo, then assembling the “King of the Hill” team, offered Hardwick the opportunity to join them.
Apart from “King of the Hill,” Hardwick made appearances on reality shows like “Ace of Cakes” (2009) and “Boomer vs Zoomer” (2019). He continued to give voice to Dale in other formats, such as the “King of the Hill” video game and the 2022 racing game “Warped Kart Racers” via archived recordings.
Earlier this year, a “King of the Hill” revival was greenlit by Hulu. Hardwick was slated to reprise his role as Dale, alongside returning voice cast members like Kathy Najimy, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, and Lauren Tom. However, Hardwick sadly did not complete his voice work on the revival before his untimely demise.
