Small screen legend George Coe has died at the age of 86. The veteran star, who was featured in the first season of Saturday Night Live, passed away on Saturday, July 18, Variety reports.
According to the trade mag, Coe died in Santa Monica, Calif., after facing an unnamed illness.
Before his death, the New York City native racked up more than 100 acting credits over the course of his 50 years in the industry. Coe made an early big screen appearance in the original 1975 Stepford Wives film, going on to nab roles in 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer, 1982's The Entity, and 1987's Blind Date.
A comedy star in his own right, Coe made his debut with the rest of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players on SNL's debut season in 1975 opposite the likes of Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi. He made multiple appearances in the premiere run, going on to cameo a few times on the comedy show in the subsequent years.
Coe also made a memorable impression in the early 2000s when he starred as Senator Howard Stackhouse in an arc on The West Wing, and made cameos on popular shows such as Smallville, Judging Amy, Gilmore Girls, and Crossing Jordan.
Despite his health troubles, the late actor continued his decades-long film career in recent years. Coe hit the big screen in 2009's Funny People and 2013's Chez Upshaw, and continued his television career with roles in Wilfred and Archer.
Coe was remembered by Wilfred show runner David Zuckerman, who tweeted on Monday, July 20, "RIP George Coe, aka Green Gene the gardening machine on #WILFRED. A very nice, funny man."
