Pat Finn, a veteran sitcom star and improv performer known for his roles in The Middle and Murphy Brown, has died. He was 60.
Finn died from cancer on Tuesday, a rep for the actor told The New York Post in a statement. “It is with profound sadness and grief that the Finn family announces the passing of beloved comedic actor, Pat Finn,” the rep said. “In 2022, Pat battled bladder cancer, went into remission, but the cancer returned and metastasized. He was a warrior in every sense of the word.”
In the month before Finn’s passing, a fundraiser was launched to support his family amid his ongoing treatment, raising more than $100,000 from his community of friends, family and supporters.
Over his career, Finn became a regular sitcom staple, with recurring appearances on such series as ABC’s The Middle, where he played Bill Norwood, one of the Hecks’ neighbors and close friends. He would also appear across two seasons of CBS’ Murphy Brown as Phil Jr., the son of the original bar owner (portrayed by Pat Corley), who took over after his father left.
Finn’s most recent credits included a guest appearance on The Goldbergs as well as roles in the romantic comedy Funny Thing About Love and Anna Camp-led Unexpected. But across his three-decade career, he would also notch stints on hit TV comedies like Friends, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 2 Broke Girls, The Bernie Mac Show, The Drew Carry Show, The George Wendt Show and 3rd Rock From the Sun.
His big-screen credits included films Dude Where’s My Car?, I Love You, Beth Cooper and the Nancy Meyers film It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. He would also appear in the 2015 documentary I Am Chris Farley, which documented the late comedian and SNL star’s journey through the lens of his family and friends, which included Finn.
Alongside his screen work, he was a respected improv performer, becoming a troupe member on the Main Stage at The Second City National Touring Company in Chicago early in his career.
Speaking to The Foothills Focus in 2022, Finn recalled where his love for sitcoms and improv comedy came from, and the role both his college and Farley played in it. “My mom and I watched The Carol Burnett Show and The Odd Couple,” he told the outlet. “I really liked the idea of sitcoms. Growing up in Chicago, nobody said they wanted to be an actor. They wanted to be firefighters or in sales.”
“I met my wife, Donna, my freshman year when I was 18,” he continued. “I also met one of my best friends, Chris Farley. The two of us were inseparable. We listened to comedy albums by Steve Martin and National Lampoon.”
Finn was born in Evanston, Illinois, and grew up in Wilmette, where he graduated in 1983 from Loyola Academy. In 1987, he earned a degree from Marquette University, where he studied at the College of Speech and played rugby alongside Farley. As an alumni, Finn would continue to support both institutions, offering current students improv lessons and workshops. At Marquette, he would perform shows and help guide the school’s student troupe via improv group The Avalancheros, which counted Danny Pudi, Kevin and John Farley among it.
After college, he joined Second City Chicago while also working with Improv Olympic Chicago, where he performed alongside Farley and as part of the Beer Shark Mice troupe, which also featured The Middle star Neil Flynn and Anchorman actor David Koechner.
Later in his career, and while still acting onscreen and in commercials, Finn served as an adjunct professor at University of Colorado Boulder, where both his daughters, Cassidy and Caitlin, graduated from, teaching Improv for Strategic Communication. He would also teach at Indiana University, UCLA, Pepperdine and Marquette, where his son, Ryan, graduated from. He would also launch Improv + Ability with Al Admire, which used improv workshops as a technique for organizational team and culture building.
In addition to his wife and kids, survivors include his parents, Leo and Betty, and his siblings, Michelle, Tracy, Tom, Kevin and Katie.
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