'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Actor Bob Einstein Dead At 76

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Emmy-winning comedic actor best known as Marty Funkhouser On “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Bob Einstein has died. He was 76 years old.

Einstein had recently been diagnosed with cancer, Deadline Hollywood reported. He died in Inidan Wells where he lived.

His brother, the actor-director Albert Brooks, shared the news with fans Wednesday.

“R.I.P. My dear brother Bob Einstein. A great brother, father and husband. A brilliantly funny man. You will be missed forever,” he tweeted.

His "Curb Your Enthusiasm" co-stars expressed shock and sadness Wednesday.

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

Einstein, might be most recognizable as Larry David's sociable character foil on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but his career spans decades as a writer and actor in some of biggest TV comedies of the day. In fact, his Emmy awards and many Emmy nominations stem from his work writing for shows such as "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour," and "Van Dyke and Company."

Born Stewart Robert Einstein in Los Angeles, Einstein stumbled into a career in Hollywood, According to Deadline Hollywood. The child of entertainers Stewart Robert Einstein and Thelma Leeds, a teenaged Einstein listened to comedians such as Milton Berle tell jokes at his father's funeral, he decided entertainment wasn't for him. Instead he studied at Chapman University and began working in advertising when he was discovered playing the man who instals stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a friend's cable cable show. Tom Smothers saw the show and invited Einstein to the set of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," and Einstein was hooked.

“I go over and now I’m sitting and watching rehearsals and my mind is burning and all of sudden out of nowhere I want this, a bee has stung me in the back, and I want this,” Einstein once told Deadline Hollywood.

He started out in the entertainment industry as a writer for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," sharing an Emmy Award with the show's writing team in 1969. He shared another Emmy in 1977 for his work on the variety series "Van Dyke and Company."

His career took off with his creation and portrayal of Super Dave Osborne, a stuntman whose daredevil feats typically resulted in spectacular failure. Super Dave appeared in sketches on a variety of television shows, including his own series that spanned five seasons from 1987 to 1991 and a one- season animated series, with Einstein voicing Super Dave.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" star and creator Larry David issued a statement saying, "Never have I seen an actor enjoy a role the way Bob did playing Marty Funkhouser on `Curb.' It was an amazing, unforgettable experience knowing and working with him. There was no one like him, as he told us again and again. We're all in a state of shock."

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" co-star Jeff Garlin wrote on Instagram, "Long live Super Dave. Long live Marty Funkhouser. I lost my friend today. I loved him. He made me laugh hard. He was supportive. He was a great father, husband and friend. I'm truly heartbroken. My time in this world was made much better by Bob Einstein. An honor to have been his friend."

Einstein is survived by his wife Roberta, his daughter Erin, his son- in-law Andrew Dale, his grandchildren Ethan and Zoe, and his brothers Cliff Einstein and Brooks.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo: HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 27: Bob Einstein arrives to the Premiere Of HBO's 'Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind' at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on June 27, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)