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Paxton Whitehead, the Tony-nominated British actor best known for his snooty roles on “Mad About You” and in the Rodney Dangerfield comedy “Back to School,” died Friday at age 85, according to his son, Charles Whitehead.

In the latter feature film, he memorably played Dr. Barbay, the disapproving dean of the business school who is horrified to learn that Rodney Dangerfield’s low-brow middle-aged character has bribed his way into college. Whitehead also had a recurring role on ’90s sitcom “Mad About You” as the “neighbor from hell” Hal Conway. The actor additionally guested on a number of series including “Frasier” and “Friends.”

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Actress Dana Ivey remembered him fondly on Twitter: “I’ve just heard that my beloved friend Paxton Whitehead has died, on Friday the 16th. We first worked together in ‘My Fair Lady’ in 1964, and the...

Paxton Whitehead, the prolific and acclaimed actor whose career stretched from 17 Broadway productions, a recurring role on the hit 1990s sitcom Mad About You and a memorable turn as a snooty professor who takes an instant disliking to Rodney Dangerfield’s crude self-made man in 1986’s Back to School, died June 16 at a hospital in Arlington, Va. He was 85.

His death has been confirmed by his son Charles Whitehead, with many friends and colleagues sharing their memories on social media.

Actor Dana Ivey wrote: “We first worked together in My Fair Lady in 1964, and the last time was in Importance of Being Earnest in 2010 — friends for 59 years. I loved him so. Heartbroken.”

Tony-nominated for his performance as Pellinore in the 1980 revival of Camelot, Paxton, born in English village of East Malling, made his Broadway debut in a short-lived production of Ronald Millar’s The Affair. His next Broadway show — Beyond the Fringe...

Paxton Whitehead, the distinguished English actor and theater mainstay known for playing stuffy types in films and TV shows including Back to School, Mad About You and Friends, has died. He was 85.

Whitehead died Friday at a hospital in Arlington, Virginia, his son, Charles Whitehead, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Whitehead earned a Tony nomination for his turn as Pellinore in a 1980 revival of Lerner & Loewe’s Camelot opposite Richard Burton and appeared 16 other times on Broadway from 1962-2018.

Notably, he starred as Sherlock Holmes in 1978-79’s The Crucifer of Blood, which ran for 236 performances at the Helen Hayes Theatre, co-starred Glenn Close and was nominated for four Tonys, winning one.

He also was in Broadway productions of My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain, Lettice and Lovage, Noises Off and The Importance of Being Earnest.

After years on the stage, Whitehead made his movie debut in Back to School (1986), in which he portrayed Dr.

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