"How I Met Your Mother" featured some legend — wait for it — dary stars, but sadly some
have passed away since the show's finale. Here are some HIMYM stars that were gone too soon.
Ron Nicolosi portrayed the hilarious and lackadaisical cameraman on Robin's
morning show "Come On, Get Up New York!" The Massachusetts-born actor
appeared in ten "How I Met Your Mother" episodes throughout the series' run.
According to his obituary, Nicolosi died at 62 years old due to health complications on July 28,
2020. His family remembered his "big smile and contagious laugh," and celebrated the
fact that he followed his dreams. Nicolosi was credited with saying,
"Someone once told me that acting is a dirty word... that it should never be used. On the
contrary, I've played a lot of characters over the years and the best one was ME."
"HIMYM" co-creator Craig Thomas remembered the late actor after his passing, tweeting,
"[He was] a gentle soul gone too young."
Alan Thicke was a legend in the world of TV, so it's only fitting that he played himself
in four episodes of "How I Met Your Mother," as well as Robin's father in the video for her '80s
alter ego's track "Sandcastles in the Sand." The Ontario-born actor's Canadian heritage
played well alongside Robin — who happened to know him thanks to her Canadian pop star days.
Outside of "HIMYM," he was best known for his role as Dr. Jason Seaver in the
highly successful family sitcom "Growing Pains," which even scored him a Golden Globes nomination
in 1988. He also appeared in shows like "Married... With Children,"
"JPod," "The Bold and the Beautiful," as well as "Fuller House."
Alan Thicke died at 69 years old on December 13,
2016, after having a heart attack, according to the Los Angeles Times. His son Robin
Thicke told The Times that his father was, quote, "the greatest man I ever met."
Although his role was uncredited, Bob Saget was the thread that tied the narrative of "How
I Met Your Mother" together: he was the voice of the older Ted Moseby recounting the story
to his kids. The part was just another one of Saget's many iconic characters.
While he was known for his raunchy onstage humor as a stand-up comedian, he also had a wholesome
side as America's favorite father Danny Tanner on "Full House" and its spinoff "Fuller House."
He also served as the host for "America's Funniest Home Videos" from 1989 to 1997.
Saget died on January 9, 2022, at the age of 65. According to Variety, he was found "unresponsive
in a hotel room" in Orlando, Florida, where he was visiting while on tour. According to
Saget's autopsy report, his cause of death was determined to be "blunt head trauma."
The loving father and funny guy was well remembered by his co-stars,
including "How I Met Your Mother"s Josh Radnor,
who shared on Twitter that the two remained close even after the series wrapped. He wrote,
"He was the kindest, loveliest, funniest, most supportive man [...] I'm endlessly grateful that
'HIMYM' brought Bob Saget into my life. I'll hear his voice in my head for the rest of my days."
In the "Slapsgiving" episode of "How I Met Your Mother," Ted is fixated on Robin's new boyfriend,
Bob, portrayed by Orson Bean. While Bob appears to be an old man in Ted's eyes, he's actually in
his 40s. Bean portrayed Bob the way that Ted saw him... even if it wasn't quite accurate.
A staple on "The Tonight Show" and "To Tell the Truth," Bean was a veteran of the stage and screen
who appeared in feature films like "Being John Malkovich." Born as Dallas Burrows, he landed on
his stage name after a bit of crowdsourcing. He once recalled to The Hollywood Reporter,
"One night in a club in Boston, I tried the name Roger Duck.
No laughs. The next night, I tried Orson Bean, putting together a pompous first
name and a silly second name. I got laughs, so I decided to keep it."
On February 7, 2020, he died at 91 years old after a car hit him in Los Angeles,
according to The New York Times. The outlet remembered him as a "free-spirited" performer
known for his comedy and his not-so-Hollywood lifestyle.
As Bean shared in a piece for The New York Times in 1977, he and his family
entered what he described as their "late hippy stage." He took a step back from show business,
moved his wife and kids to Australia, and, quote, "gave away almost everything we owned."
TV icon Regis Philbin portrayed himself in the hilarious "How I Met Your Mother" episode
"The Best Burger in New York," in which Marshall leads the gang on a search
through New York in an attempt to locate the best burger he's ever had... from an eatery
he cannot remember. He does, however, recall an autographed photo of Regis Philbin on the wall,
and they track him down at the gym in hopes of locating the spot.
While Regis does not remember its name, he does join the crew in their hunt.
Philbin's cameo was a small piece of his incredible onscreen legacy. In fact, he even once
held the Guinness World Record for "the person with the most hours on TV." The hard working
television personality was known for hosting ABC's "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee" — later
with Kelly Ripa — as well as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Million Dollar Password."
On July 24, 2020, Philbin died at 88 of natural causes, according to USA Today,
with a medical official reporting he passed from a cardiac condition. Kelly Ripa,
who worked alongside Philbin for 11 years, said it best on an episode "Live with Kelly and Ryan":
"They don't make them like Regis anymore."
"He could tell a story like nobody else."
In a short flashback scene from the episode "The Goat," storied actor Ian Abercrombie took
on Ben Franklin, who apparently commissioned Barney's relative to write "The Bro Code".
Abercrombie began his career in theater, and after dominating the stage in the UK,
found a successful career in voice acting, portraying roles like Chancellor Palpatine
in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and Ganthet in "Green Lantern: The Animated Series."
He wasn't a one-trick pony, however, and his other memorable roles included Headmaster Crumbs
in "Wizards of Waverly Place," and Mr. Pitt, Elaine's odd and burdensome
boss on "Seinfeld". Although his career didn't take him to leading-man status,
Abercrombie was happy to be a working actor. He once told a reporter, per BBC News,
"I always remember looking out for the supporting
character actors. They seemed to be far more interesting to me than the stars."
He died on January 26, 2012, at 77 years old due to kidney failure,
according to the Los Angeles Times, however his legacy as "Star Wars'" Palpatine lived on,
and his voice continued to appear in episodes after his passing.
Peter Bogdanovich played himself at a hoity-toity party that Ted weaseled his way into in the "How I
Met Your Mother" Season 5 episode "Robots Versus Wrestlers." Considering his impressive legacy,
it was a perfectly suitable role for the director, actor,
producer, and historian. In a recap of the episode, The Atlantic had but one critique:
"I was only disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Bogdanovich."
His first big success as a director came with 1971's "The Last Picture Show,"
which scored eight Academy Awards nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. He also
directed hits like "What's Up, Doc?" and "Paper Moon," with The Washington Post calling him,
"Part of the vanguard of New Hollywood filmmakers who helped reinvigorate American cinema."
According to the outlet, fellow film giant Martin Scorsese once said,
"No one makes old movies better than Bogdanovich."
Bogdanovich's last role was in the 2021 short film "Nightwalkers." On January 6, 2022, he died at 82
years old from complications caused by Parkinson's disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
William Schallert had a small role as Brady in the season 2 episode
"Columns." A cameo on the sitcom was hardly Schallert's only TV credit, though.
Throughout his 60 years in entertainment, he appeared in numerous shows, including "Leave
It to Beaver," "The Twilight Zone," and "Desperate Housewives." His biggest role,
however, was as the father of Patty Lane and Cathy Lane on "The Patty Duke Show."
When the Television Academy asked him why he believed his "Patty Duke Show" character
"resonated" with viewers, he replied,
"I was a nice father, a nice dad, and I was working with Patty Duke [...] she
was somebody to be reckoned with. [...] And, you know, my personality was okay."
Although Schallert's career never quite ascended to the echelons,
he was happy to make his living as an actor, telling The Times,
"I've never been single-minded in my pursuit of acting as a career.
Whatever it was that got me hired and kept me working probably was just me."
On May 8, 2016, he died at 93 years old, however a cause of death was not revealed.
Barney and Robin's wedding brought out so many relatives in the episode "Last Time in New York,"
including Uncle Mort, portrayed by Lou Cutell. The seasoned actor appeared in a number of films
through his lengthy career, including "Wedding Crashers," "Little Big Man," and "Pee-Wee's
Big Adventure," in which he portrayed The Amazing Larry. In 2015, he made a guest appearance as Abe
on "Grey's Anatomy," a role that would end up being his last onscreen credit.
On November 21, 2021, he died at 91. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his cause of death was not
made publicly available. After his passing, he was remembered by Paul Rebens in a post on Twitter,
with his "Pee-Wee" co-star calling him "sweet, caring, and unassuming." Ever the optimist,
Cutell told Clyde Fitch Report that he's seen the world of acting reach new heights.
"I think there are more wonderful actors today than ever before.
Our generation learned from seeing plays and going to the movies."
Pat Crawford Brown had a small role in "How I Met Your Mother" Season 4 episode "Three Days
of Snow," sitting next to Lily on a plane. The storied actor had a long history of scene-stealing
roles in projects like "Desperate Housewives," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and "Norbit."
Brown was a high school English teacher before her acting career.
She racked up over 150 credits between 1985 and 2012. On July 2, 2019, she "passed peacefully"
following "a long illness" and was survived by her loving family, per her obituary.
Alex Trebek was one of America's most beloved game show personalities, so it only makes
sense that he appeared as himself and hosted the fictional series "Million Dollar Heads or Tails"
in "How I Met Your Mother." In the real world, the "Jeopardy!" host received a Guinness World
Record for most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter after hosting over 8,000 episodes.
Trebek won eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host for the series
and also hosted programs like "The Wizard of Odds," "Double Dare," and "To Tell the Truth."
In 2019, Trebek told the world that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
"Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but
I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working."
And keep working is exactly what he did. A year later, Trebek gave fans an update:
"Now I'd be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one.
There were some good days, but a lot of not-so-good days."
He went on to give his fans hope, saying:
"If we take it just one day at a time, with a positive attitude, anything is possible."
Alex Trebek's class, optimism, and honesty were what fans loved about him.
In his 2020 memoir "The Answer Is...," he wrote,
"One thing they're not going to say at my funeral as part of my eulogy is 'He was taken from us too
soon.' I've lived a good, full life, and I'm nearing the end of it. I know that."
Trebek passed on November 8, 2020, at 80.
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