Pat Finn, a prolific TV character actor and comedian best known for his recurring role as friendly neighbor Bill Norwood on ABC’s The Middle, died Monday, December 22, following a three-year battle with cancer. He was 60.
His death was announced by his family. A rep for Finn said in a statement to The New York Post, “It is with profound sadness and grief that the Finn family announces the passing of beloved comedic actor, Pat Finn. In 2022, Pat battled bladder cancer, went into remission, but the cancer returned and metastasized. He was a warrior in every sense of the word.”
Born in Evanston, Illinois, on July 31, 1965, Finn joined Chicago’s Second City and iO comedy troupes after graduating from Marquette University (where he became friends with future Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley) in 1987. His TV breakthrough came in the mid-1990s, when he landed recurring roles on The George Wendt Show and Murphy Brown. In 1998 he played the party-throwing character Joe Mayo in the memorable “The Reverse Peephole” episode of Seinfeld.
Other TV roles included appearances on That ’70s Show, The King of Queens, two episodes of Friends (he played Dr. Roger), and several episodes of Third Rock From The Sun. He played the character Jim Frost on eight episodes in 2001 and 2002 of the comedy-drama Ed, and made episodic appearances on Yes, Dear, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Bernie Mac Show, Wizards of Waverly Place, 2 Broke Girls and The Goldbergs, among others.
From 2011 to 2018 Finn played nice-guy Bill Norwood on 23 episodes of The Middle, neighbor to the sitcom’s main characters the Hecks and good buddy of Neil Flynn’s Mike Heck. In 2012 and 2013, he played Bob Forman on 18 episodes of the Nickelodeon sitcom Marvin Marvin.
On the big screen, Finn appeared in the 2000 comedy Dude, Where’s My Car.
Finn is survived by wife Donna, and their children, Cassidy, Caitlin and Ryan, his parents and other family.
In a post on X, Finn’s friends and fellow comedians Brian Stack and Jeff Dye shared tributes. “One of the best dudes I knew with a PERFECT sense of humor,” wrote Dye.
