Pat Finn, a veteran comedy actor known for playing the Heck familyโs friendly neighbor Bill Norwood on โThe Middle,โ died Monday, reportedly following a three-year battle with cancer. He was 60.
โAfter a beautiful life filled with laughter, love, family, and friends, we share the heartbreaking news of the death of Pat Finn,โ Finnโs family said in a statement to multiple outlets. Finnโs manager, Andrea Pett-Joseph, who described the actor as โthe kindest, most joyful person in any room, told Deadline that he died surrounded by his family and friends. His death was first reported by TMZ.
Finn broke into show business in the 1990s, appearing in various sitcoms. His first major role was on โThe George Wendt Show,โ where he played Dan Coleman, the brother of Wendtโs character, George Coleman. He also had a recurring role on โMurphy Brownโ as Phil Jr., the son of the original owner and bartender of Philโs Bar (portrayed by Pat Corley) who took over the establishment in later seasons.
โSeinfeldโ fans might remember Finn from his role as Joe Mayo in โThe Reverse Peepholeโ episode. He also portrayed alternate-universe Monicaโs boyfriend Dr. Roger in a couple of episodes of โFriends.โ Finnโs credits also included roles on โThe Drew Carey Show,โ โ3rd Rock From the Sun,โ โThat โ70s Show,โ โCurb Your Enthusiasm,โ โThe Bernie Mac Show,โ โ2 Broke Girlsโ and โThe Goldbergs.โ His most recent credits included the films โUnexpectedโ (2023) and โDiamond in the Roughโ (2022).
Born in Evanston, Ill., Finn attended Marquette University in the 1980s, where he met his future wife, Donna, and Chris Farley, with whom he became friends. After graduating, Finn, along with Farley, joined Chicagoโs Second City to hone his comedy chops.
In a 2022 interview published on Phoenix.org, Finn said heโd always gravitated toward comedy.
โMy mom and I watched โThe Carol Burnett Showโ and โThe Odd Couple,โโ he said. โI 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. … A career in comedy didnโt become a reality until I was picked up by The Second City and then the main stage.โ
According to a statement provided to the New York Post, Finn was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2022. Although he went into remission, the cancer later returned and metastasized.
A lifelong Bears fan, Finn โoften showed the biggest signs when the Bears scored a touchdownโ in his final days, the statement from the actorโs family said. โNo pressure Bears โ just saying โ do it for Pat.โ
Finn is survived by wife Donna and their three children, Cassidy, Caitlin and Ryan.