Bob Einstein, best known for playing Marty Funkhouser on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and goofy daredevil stuntman Super Dave Osborne, died Wednesday at the age of 76. His website confirmed that he died shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer.
From 2004 to 2017 on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Einstein played a foil to Larry David’s protagonist. Einstein’s website reads, “In one iconic episode, Marty attends a rehearsal for a ‘Seinfeld’ reunion special in which he tells Jerry Seinfeld a joke as off-color as it is unexpected. As much as he tries, Larry David cannot avoid cracking a smile.”
But Einstein was in the Hollywood game long before “Curb.” He launched his career in the late 1970s as a writer for shows like “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” for which he won an Emmy Award in 1969. The show gave him and his writing partner, Steve Martin, their big break. On “The Smothers Brothers,” the two were among the first writers to do anti-Vietnam War comedy. Einstein also wrote for “Van Dyke and Company,” starring Dick Van Dyke, which earned him another Emmy.
The actor, who was 6-foot-4, debuted his Super Dave character in 1972. Super Dave was a confident, daredevil stuntman who often failed spectacularly. Stunts included Super Dave falling off Toronto’s CN Tower, getting crushed by a wrecking ball and being swept off the top of a bus. Super Dave appeared on “Late Night with David Letterman,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and various “Super Dave” shows.
Einstein also appeared on “Arrested Development.”
Einstein’s brother, the actor and comedian Albert Brooks, tweeted, “R.I.P. My dear brother Bob Einstein. A great brother, father and husband. A brilliantly funny man. You will be missed forever.”
“Curb” co-star Cheryl Hines also wrote, “♥️ thanks for all of the laughs on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Our love to Bob’s family.”
