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'Curb Your Enthusiasm' actor Bob Einstein, who played Marty Funkhouser, dead at 76

"It was an amazing, unforgettable experience knowing and working with him," Larry David said. "There was no one like him, as he told us again and again."
Image: Bob Einstein in Hollywood on June 27, 2018.
Bob Einstein in Hollywood on June 27, 2018.Christopher Polk / Getty Images file

Bob Einstein, who had a recurring role on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as Marty Funkhouser and who separately created the comic character Super Dave Osborne, has died, his family said. He was 76.

His younger brother, Albert Brooks, an actor, comedian, writer and director, tweeted Wednesday: "R.I.P. My dear brother Bob Einstein. A great brother, father and husband. A brilliantly funny man. You will be missed forever."

His daughter, Erin Einstein Dale, told NBC News that her father "loved his family and making people laugh more than anything in the world."

The comedian, whose full name was Stewart Robert Einstein, got his start in television as a writer for variety shows.

A two-time Emmy winner, Einstein is perhaps best known for his role as Marty Funkhouser on Larry David's HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," from 2004 up until the most recent season.

“Never have I seen an actor enjoy a role the way Bob did playing 'Marty Funkhouser' on 'Curb,'” David told NBC News in a statement. "It was an amazing, unforgettable experience knowing and working with him. There was no one like him, as he told us again and again.”

Einstein also created the character Super Dave Osborne, a satirical stuntman, whom he appeared as on numerous shows dating back to the 1970s.

Image: Larry David and Bob Einstein in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
Larry David and Bob Einstein in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."HBO/Klobal/REX/Shutterstock

Einstein won his first Emmy as part of the writing team for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" in 1969, and his second as a producer for a Dick Van Dyke show, "Van Dyke and Company," in 1977.

His cast mates from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" were among those to react on Twitter. Actor Richard Lewis, who had a recurring semi-autobiographical role on the HBO series, said he was in shock.

"His long career is hard to match. His role on #curbyourenthusiasm was excruciatingly brilliant!" Lewis tweeted. "Our cast and crew will be devastated. He was so loved."

Cheryl Hines, who also stars in the HBO series, said in a tweet: "We lost a friend today." She added: "The comedy world will miss you."