Johnny Hardwick, Who Played Conspiracy Theorist Dale Gribble On "King Of The Hill," Passes Away At Age 64

The voice of the conspiracy-obsessed Dale Gribble on Fox’s “King of the Hill,” Johnny Hardwick, has passed away. He was 64.

Hector Nieto of the Austin, Texas medical examiner’s office confirmed Hardwick’s demise. Hardwick was discovered dead in his Austin residence on August 8 during a critical welfare check, according to the Austin police public relations office.

A cause of death is not yet known, and the coroner’s inquiry has not revealed any indications of foul play.

From the series’ premiere in 1997 until its final episode in 2010, Austin resident Hardwick provided the voice of the Texas-twanged character Gribble on the popular animated Fox series created by creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels. The exterminator, bounty hunter, and gun enthusiast Gribble chain-smoked Manitoba cigarettes, wore a ubiquitous orange Mack cap and sunglasses, and had a low regard for all branches of government.

In addition to writing for, editing stories for, and producing “KOTH,” Hardwick shared the 1999 “KOTH” Emmy for outstanding animated show and was nominated for the same prize in 2001 and 2002.

(Back row, far right) Johnny Hardwick in a group portrait from “King of the Hill” in 2005. Including (back row) L-R As Peggy Hill, Stephen Root plays Bill; Mike Judge, the show is creator and executive producer, plays Hank Hill; and David Herman provides the guest voice. (First row, L to R) Toby Huss as Cotton/Kahn, Ashley Gardner as Nancy Gribble, Lauren Tom as Mihn, Brittany Murphy as LuAnne, and guest voice actor Tom Petty.

Johnny Hardwick was a much-loved member of the “King of the Hill” family who will be sorely missed by everyone who had the good fortune to work with him over the past 25 years, according to a statement released on Thursday by 20th Television Animation and Hulu. “As we mourn the loss of one of the greats of animation, our sincere condolences go out to his friends and family. One of our most well-known characters was brought to life by his voice, and he will be sorely missed.

Hulu revealed earlier this year that Hardwick would return for the streaming reboot of the show. A few episodes had been recorded by the actor.

According to Hardwick’s profile on Campus Live, he graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in journalism. After graduating, Hardwick actively participated in the Austin and Dallas stand-up comedy scenes by giving several performances at comedy clubs.

According to Campus Live, Daniels saw him perform at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles and gave him a writing job on “King of the Hill.” This was his big break. The comedian originally intended to join the cast of the MTV comedy “Austin Stories,” but he ultimately decided to work on “King of the Hill.” Later, after plans to hire actor Daniel Stern fell through, he was given the role of Gribble.

According to Hardwick, who spoke to the Austin Chronicle in 1999, “I ended up kind of basing his attitude on if he thought he was Jack Nicholson but he wasn’t, or if he just felt he was the coolest man around, like Matthew McConaughey’s character in “Dazed and Confused.” The fact that Mike was a conspiracy theorist was something they did include in the original pilot, which I thought was a really nice touch.

Dale from “King of the Hill” John Hardwick, a voice actor, has passed away.
In addition to “King of the Hill,” Hardwick also had voiceover parts in the 1999 comedy-thriller “Natural Selection” and the Barenaked Ladies music video “Get in Line,” where he reprised his Gribble role for the “King” soundtrack single.

Additionally, Hardwick ran a YouTube channel where he recorded copies of well-known songs in Gribble’s voice while sporting the trademark hat and eyewear.

The television series “King of the Hill,” which is situated in the fictional Texas town of Arlen, centers on Hank (played by Judge), his wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy), and their adolescent son Bobby (Pamela Adlon).

On Instagram, Adlon shared a picture of Hardwick with the “King of the Hill” cast.

According to Adlon, Johnny was “the most exceptional tender-hearted dirty footed sneakily talented mercurial creature.” “The recollections go back a long way. I say! WINGO! Johnny, rest in peace. You left your buttprint.

Joseph’s voice actor, Breckin Meyer, shared a picture from X that was dedicated to his TV father.

Meyer writes, “Was fortunate enough to have Johnny Hardwick as my pops Dale for about a decade. He is going to be sorely missed! RIP.”

Johnny Hardwick, Who Played Conspiracy Theorist Dale Gribble On “King Of The Hill,” Passes Away At Age 64

The voice of the conspiracy-obsessed Dale Gribble on Fox’s “King of the Hill,” Johnny Hardwick, has passed away. He was 64.

Download The Radiant App To Start Watching!