Charles Kimbrough

Since the late '80s, Charles Kimbrough has been best-known by the public for his portrayal of Jim Dial, the dignified veteran television news anchor and reporter on the sitcom Murphy Brown. Before that, however, Kimbrough was a familiar and popular figure in theater in New York, and has appeared on two essential original cast albums, Company and Sunday in the Park With George. The nephew of author Emily Kimbrough (best-known for her collaboration with Cornelia Otis Skinner on the biographical book Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, which was adapted into a movie and later dramatized on television), his interest in theater stemmed in part from his aunt's writings about the stage. After achieving success with the Milwaukee Repertory Company, Kimbrough came to New York and began carving out a place for himself in 1970 with the good notices he got in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, which led to his recording debut on the cast album. His other major appearance in music centered principally on Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George, for which he got a Tony Award nomination -- he has been featured on numerous collections of Broadway material and he was also one of the voice actors and singers (in a delightful duet with Mary Wickes) on Disney's animated production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and appeared on its soundtrack album. ~ Bruce Eder