James Noble, who died Monday after a long stage and television career, might have been the original beloved absent-minded politician on a TV sitcom.
Noble, 94, is best known for his role as Eugene Xavier Gatling, the dense but well-meaning governor of an unnamed state, on the 1980s ABC series Benson. Noble died at Norwalk Hospital after suffering a stroke, according to his daughter, Jessica Katherine Noble Cowan.
Noble was born in Dallas on March 5, 1922. He studied drama and engineering a Southern Methodist University, but left college to join the Navy during World War II.
After the war, Noble returned to acting and studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York. According to The New York Times, Noble made his Broadway debut in a 1949 production of the comedy "The Velvet Glove" and went on to appear in four more Broadway shows, including the musical "1776," in which he played John Hancock.
He made the TV circuit in the 1970s and '80s, making appearances on Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, Starsky and Hutch, The Love Boat and McCloud.
From 1979 to 1986, he appeared on Benson, starring Robert Guillaume. The premise of the show was that Benson rose from "director of household affairs" to lieutenant governor. Benson's dynamic with Noble's character was the focus of the series.
Noble died at Norwalk Hospital after suffering a stroke, according to his daughter, Jessica Katherine Noble Cowan. Noble's wife, the actress Carolyn Coates died in 2005.
