'Nice guy' Harry Anderson gets heartfelt sendoff from 'Night Court' costars, fellow magicians

By Nardine Saad

April 17, 2018 10:37 AM PT

“Night Court” and “Dave’s World” star Harry Anderson received a tip of the hat from costars and fellow magicians sending out heartfelt tributes to the late sitcom star.

The actor, who died on Monday at age 65, began his lengthy career in stand-up and magic, then notably played judge Harry T. Stone on the Emmy-winning NBC sitcom “Night Court.”

Costar John B. Larroquette and several others fondly remembered the actor — and his iconic fedora — with messages honoring Anderson’s memory.

“He was wicked smart. He was wicked funny. He had a big laugh. He had a big heart. He delighted in legerdemain especially when he caused someone to scratch their head and proclaim; How the hell did you do that? And he could eat a hamster like no one I ever knew,” the actor tweeted late Monday, describing their work on the show as “a carnival fun ride with Harry.”

OBITUARY: ‘Night Court’ star Harry Anderson dies at 65

Larroquette played womanizing prosecutor Dan Fielding to Anderson’s quirky Stone, and together the two men earned a slew of Emmys for “Night Court” between 1984 and 1992. The men reunited on the small screen again in 1996 when Anderson made a guest appearance as a plastic surgeon on NBC’s “The John Larroquette Show.”

“Out in the cosmos tonight, with his fedora at a rakish angle and a ‘Watch this’ wink to us, he’s coaxing whoever might be out there with him; Pick a card. Any card,” Larroquette wrote.

Costar Markie Post tweeted that she was too “devastated” to talk about Anderson, who was her love interest on the show; but Marsha Warfield, who played the show’s third bailiff after the first two died, took to Facebook Live to offer a lengthy, tearful remembrance.

“Harry was a good man, a good friend, he was good to me when I first got on ‘Night Court,’” Warfield said. “They embraced me and Harry was the first one to reach out and offer me advice, and any help I needed. And I needed a lot at that time.”

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“I am so sorry for his family, his friends and fans,” she added. “I hope his family is comforted in knowing that he was so very loved, and so very talented. I’m going to miss you, Harry. Harry the Hat. Rest in peace.”

NBC, which broadcast “Night Court” as part of its powerhouse Thursday night lineup, tweeted that “the honorable Judge Harry Stone is forever in our hearts.”

Comedians and magicians also regarded Anderson as a genuinely “nice guy” who remained hilarious and humble throughout his career. He car-pooled to stand-up gigs with Paul Reiser of “Mad About You” and served as an inspiration to actor-magician Neil Patrick Harris.

In a tribute photo, famed illusionist David Copperfield held up enlarged “Three Card Monte” cards that Anderson used to close his act and applauded the sleight-of-hand veteran for inspiring “generations of magicians with his unique style.”

Here’s a round-up of what they had to say: