Eddie Barth, a veteran actor and voiceover artist known as “Mr. Gravel” for his raspy timbre, died May 28 at his home in Los Angeles of heart failure. He was 78.
Barth appeared in 38 episodes of “Simon & Simon,” the 1981-89 CBS series that starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as brothers and owners of a private detective agency. Barth played Myron Fowler, the owner of Peerless Detectives, a rival agency.
The Philadelphia native closed the classic Miller Lite beer commercials (Tastes Great … Less Filling) of the 1980s with the line, “Lite Beer from Miller; everything you want from a beer and less.”
Barth also did voice work on “Osmosis Jones” (2001), “Babe: Pig in the City” (1998) and “Superman: The Animated Series.”
He played a police lieutenant on CBS series “Shaft,” an 1973 offshoot of the movie, and had regular roles on “Murder, She Wrote,” “Civil Wars,” “Night Court” and “Stone.”
Survivors include his wife Sally, his son Victor, his grandson Tommy and his daughter-in-law Annie.
No services are planned. The family asks that donations in his name be made to the Actors Fund, the American Heart Assn. or any children’s charity.
