American actor, comedian and magician Harry Anderson, best known for his role as the kindhearted Judge Harry Stone on the NBC comedy Night Court, was found dead in his Asheville home on April 16, 2018. While no cause was released by the Asheville Police Department, they said no foul play was suspected. He was was 65 years old. 

Harry Laverne Anderson was born on October 14, 1952 in Newport, Rhode Island. After developing a passion for magic at a young age, Anderson moved to Los Angeles to further build his skills. He later joined the Dante Magic Club and served as a street magician in San Francisco, before graduating as valedictorian at North Hollywood High School in 1970. Between 1981 and 1985, Anderson made eight appearances on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. 

These appearances led to his role as Harry “The Hat” Gittes on several seasons of the television sitcom Cheers and eventually as Judge Stone on Night Court. Anderson brought the good-humored and an amateur magician turned Judge to life for nine seasons and was nominated for three consecutive Emmys from 1985 to 1987. Night Court itself ran from 1984 to 1992 and was nominated for 31 Emmys, winning a total of seven over the years. Along with sharing a first name and penchant for magic, both Anderson and the fictional Judge were superfans of the jazz great Mel Tormé. Anderson even served as eulogist at Tormé’s funeral in 1999. 

Following his turn on Night Court, during which time he amassed a devoted fan base, Anderson made numerous appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Continuing his passion for magic, Anderson also performed many comedy/magic shows for clubs and broadcast, including Harry Anderson’s Sideshow. In 1990, Anderson starred in the It two-part miniseries as the adult version of Richie Tozier. Playing a kid joker turned professional comedian, he utilized his comedic timing and style for the part while also infusing it with impressive levels of panic and terror.

Returning to sitcom, Anderson starred on Dave’s World as humor columnist Dave Barry from 1993 to 1997. Later on, he partnered with his longtime friend Turk Pipkin to write Games You Can't Lose: A Guide for Suckers, a collection of gags, cons, tricks, and scams. He also appeared on Chris Angel’s TV special The Science of Magic and on the 30 Rock episode “The One with the Cast of Night Court.” In 2005, Anderson opened a nightclub called Oswald’s Speakeasy, where he performed his one-man show Wise Guy. In his later years, Anderson appeared in comedy specials such as Comedy Bang! Bang! and Gotham Comedy Live. His final film appearance was as Professor Kaman in the 2014 Christian drama film A Matter of Faith.

Anderson had two children from his first marriage to Leslie Pollack. His second wife, Elizabeth Morgan, is among his survivors.