Johnny Hardwick voiced fan-favorite character Dale Gribble in King of the Hill. Sadly, it’s been confirmed that Hardwick has died at age 64.
Hardwick played his role on King of the Hill from 1997 to 2010. As such, he was a key part of the show’s cast, and his character became a pop culture icon as a result. He also operated as a writer, story editor, and producer for the series as well.
As shared via THR, “Hardwick’s death was confirmed Thursday by the Austin medical examiner’s office. No details were immediately available.” It was further revealed that “he was pronounced dead at his home in Austin on Tuesday and that no foul play was suspected.”
It’s further said that Dale Gribble’s design and smoking habits were also inspired directly by Hardwick. He was further attached to be involved with Hulu’s upcoming revival of King of the Hill. At this time, however, it’s unknown if he recorded his dialogue prior to his death or what will happen to his character. In the show’s original run, he appeared in more than 250 different King of the Hill episodes.
Hardwick was born in 1958 in Houston, Texas. His other television roles include An Evening at the Improv, Ace of Cakes, and 2019’s Boomer vs Zoomer. He was also active on YouTube with a variety of song parodies sung in the style of Dale Gribble. By early 2023, his YouTube channel had as many as 17,500 subscribers.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them. As mentioned, it’s unknown if Johnny Hardwick will have a posthumous role on the Hulu streaming service’s King of the Hill or if they plan to pay tribute to the late actor in some other fashion. But hopefully we’ll have more details then. As for now, we’ll all be grateful for Hardwick’s work over the years. It’s certainly a sad day for King of the Hill fans.