Frank Bonner, best known to TV viewers as abrasive sales manager Herb Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati, has passed away at the age of 79 due to complications from Lewy body dementia.
After WKRP, which originally ran four seasons from 1978 through 1982, he appeared as a regular on The New WKRP In Cincinnati and in several episodes of Saved By The Bell: The New Class. He had extensive guest appearances on other shows both before and after WKRP, including Mannix, The F.B.I., Love, American Style, Cannon, Punky Brewster, Gimme A Break, Crazy Like A Fox, Matt Houston, Simon & Simon, and numerous others.
He was not known for his work in front of the camera alone, though.
In addition to WKRP in Cincinnati and its sequel series, he directed a variety of TV series including The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Who’s The Boss?, Evening Shade, and Harry and the Hendersons, among others.
“The key to comedy is timing, and no one could do it better than Frank Bonner. May his transition be blessed and peaceful. Goodbye my friend,” WKRP co-star Tim Reid posted on Instagram.
Bonner is survived by his wife, Gayle, two daughters, two sons, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.