Friends star and theatre veteran Paxton Whitehead dies aged 85

Friends star Paxton Whitehead has died at the age of 85. 

The English actor, who was a Broadway stalwart and regular guest star in an array of Nineties sitcoms, died on Friday at a hospital in Arlington, Virginia. 

His son, Charles Whitehead, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Whitehead will be known to many for playing Mr. Waltham, Rachel Green’s [Jennifer Aniston] boss at Bloomingdale’s during season four of the hit series, Friends. 

The actor also made appearances on popular shows, Frasier, Caroline in the City, Ellen, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Drew Carey Show and Mad About You. 

Sad news: Friends star and theatre veteran Paxton Whitehead died on Friday at a hospital in Arlington, Virginia at the age of 85 (pictured in 2012) 

Fan favourite: Whitehead will be known to many for playing Mr. Waltham, Rachel Green’s [Jennifer Aniston] boss at Bloomingdale’s during season four of hit series, Friends (pictured left, with Aniston and Tate Donovan on the show) 

Whitehead, from East Malling and Larkfield in Kent, starred in several Broadway productions and earned a Tony nomination for his performance as Pellinore in a 1980 revival of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot opposite Richard Burton. 

The thespian appeared 16 more times on Broadway from 1962-2018, including My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain, Lettice and Lovage, Noises Off and The Importance of Being Earnest.

He also famously starred as Sherlock Holmes The Crucifer of Blood in 1978 and 1979, which ran for 236 performances at the Helen Hayes Theatre. 

He starred alongside Glenn Close in the producation, which was nominated for four Tonys Awards.

Whitehead didn’t make his film debut until 1986 when he appeared in Back To School as Dr Philip Barbay, dean of the business school at Grand Lakes University and the boyfriend of literature professor Diane Turner (played by Sally Kellerman).

He appeared in the NBC comedy Made About You from 1992 to 1999 as the uptight neighbour Hal Conway.

In an interview in 2017, Whitehead said his most farcical roles were the ones he enjoys the most. 

He said: ‘Everybody says [they] are difficult to do, but it depends. You either have a knack for it or you don’t.’ 

Theatre star: Whitehead, from East Malling and Larkfield in Kent, starred in several Broadway productions and earned a Tony nomination in the Eighties (pictured in 1971) 

He continued: ‘I think it is hard for some people. I found it not so difficult. I don’t know. I just seemed to respond to it.

‘When I was younger, I would try very hard to get the vocal point right. If I felt the rhythm and sound of the character — if I got that right, and usually the difference is very subtle — then I think everything else seemed to follow, the movement and so on.’ 

When asked how he would sum up his life and career in one word, Whitehead mused: ‘Serendipitous!’ 

Whitehead is survived by his son Charles and daughter Alex.