Johnny Hardwick
{{short description|American voice actor (1958–2023)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Johnny Hardwick
| image = JohnnyHardwicksmall.jpg
| caption = Hardwick performing stand-up comedy in 2004
| birth_name = John Michael Hardwick
| birth_date = {{date of birth|1958|12|31}}
| birth_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.
| death_date = {{circa}} {{Death date and age|2023|08|08|1958|12|31}}
| death_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.
| education = Texas Tech University (BA)
| occupation = {{hlist|Voice actor|comedian|writer|producer|YouTuber}}
| years_active = 1990–2023
| spouse =
| children =
| website =
| module =
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| embed = yes
| channel_id = UCAEWhhzdNSwYnweIMkGGCDw
| channel_display_name = johnny hardwick
| years_active = 2015–2023
| genre = {{Hlist|Song parodies|monologues}}
| subscribers = 23.7 thousand
| views = 905 thousand
}}
}}
John Michael Hardwick (December 31, 1958 – c. August 8, 2023){{cite news|first1=Carlos |last1=De Loera|title=Johnny Hardwick, voice of Dale Gribble on 'King of the Hill,' dies at 64|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-08-11/johnny-hardwick-death-king-of-the-hill-actor-dale-gribble|access-date=August 16, 2023|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 11, 2023}} was an American voice actor, comedian, writer, producer and YouTuber. He was best known as the voice of Dale Gribble in the animated American television series King of the Hill.{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/king-of-the-hill-characters-voices/?amp=true|title = See the Voices Behind Your Favorite 'King of the Hill' Characters|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=July 1, 2022}} He also served as a staff writer,{{cite web|url=https://voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=5643|title=Johnny Hardwick|publisher=|accessdate=August 13, 2020|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530202314/http://voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=5643|url-status=dead}} story editor, and producer on the show. He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards three times, winning once in 1999 with the rest of King of the Hill{{'}}s production team.{{cite web |title=Johnny Hardwick – Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins |url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/johnny-hardwick |website=Television Academy |access-date=August 11, 2023}}
Early life
John Michael Hardwick was born in Austin, Texas, on December 31, 1958.{{cite news |last1=Whittaker |first1=Richard |title=Johnny Hardwick, the Voice of Dale Gribble, Dies at 64 |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2023-08-10/johnny-hardwick-the-voice-of-dale-gribble-dies-at-64/ |access-date=August 11, 2023 |newspaper=The Austin Chronicle |date=August 10, 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Barnes |first=Mike |date=August 10, 2023 |title=Johnny Hardwick, the Voice of Dale Gribble on 'King of the Hill,' Dies at 64 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/johnny-hardwick-dead-king-of-the-hill-1235560930/ |access-date=August 10, 2023|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}{{cite news|author=Jack Hobbs|title=Johnny Hardwick, voice of Dale Gribble on 'King of the Hill,' dead at 64|url=https://nypost.com/2023/08/10/king-of-the-hill-star-johnny-hardwick-dead-at-64/|access-date=August 16, 2023|work=New York Post|date=August 10, 2023}} He attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock.{{Cite web|url=https://campuslivettu.com/texas-tech-alumni-spotlight-entertainment/|title = Texas Tech Alumni Spotlight – Entertainment|date = September 2020}} After graduating with a BA degree in journalism, he worked for a decade as a bartender in live blues bars in Dallas and Austin, including Nick's Uptown, Sixth Street Live and The Greenville Bar & Grill.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
Career
Starting in 1990, Hardwick performed stand-up comedy for a number of years, appearing at such venues as the Dallas Improv and the Velveeta Room in Austin and appearing on shows including Evening at the Improv and Caroline's Comedy Hour.{{cite web|first=Eddie|last=Fu|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/johnny-hardwick-voice-king-hill-172230937.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tL3locy9zZWFyY2g_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&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMXnSJtbRVkAIEWkIy5-XU6mme2VgQhBR9wZ50Oa2c8gYugADbMXp4KgMXm8wKoL7YmTEGyCr-MbXkZs2_nBL7M7pAcEqkENgeZKgyMsrPFiwKt1LaGYG1foOzFysnv1qfroigs2oXhMyzNeDYt2jE_a26eQMZ1tSXcnF79jpYKC&_guc_consent_skip=1691831165|title=Johnny Hardwick, Voice of King of the Hill's Dale Gribble, Dead at 64|website=Yahoo!|date=August 10, 2023|accessdate=August 12, 2023}} He was the first comic to appear on The Jon Stewart Show. In 1995, he worked the Montreal Comedy Festival, where Brandon Tartikoff saw his set and signed him to a sitcom on NBC, which never materialized.{{cite magazine|first=Miles|last=Klee|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/king-of-the-hill-dale-gribble-voice-actor-johnny-hardwick-dead-1234804516/|title=Johnny Hardwick, Voice of Conspiracy Nut Dale Gribble on 'King of the Hill,' Dead at 64|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=August 10, 2023|accessdate=August 12, 2023}}
After Hardwick signed with the Strauss-McGarr agency, he was continually booked in stand-up across the United States. While at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, he performed a set about his father in Texas. Afterward, he was approached by television writers and producers Greg Daniels and Mike Judge, who were helping create the Texan-themed comedy King of the Hill.
The role of Dale Gribble was originally offered to Daniel Stern, but producers were unable to agree with Stern on a salary. Instead, Hardwick won it by not arguing about money.{{Cite web|first=Robert |last=Faires|date=April 2, 1999|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/1999-04-02/521685/|title = Picks to Snicker|newspaper=Austin Chronicle}} He performed the role for the show's entire 13-year run and appeared in 257 of 258 episodes. At the time of his death, he was set to reprise the role again in the upcoming revival. It was later revealed that Hardwick had recorded "a couple" of new episodes for the revival prior to his death.{{cite web|url=https://tvline.com/casting-news/johnny-hardwick-death-king-of-the-hill-reboot-returning-dale-1235027891/|title=Johnny Hardwick Recorded New King of the Hill Episodes for Hulu Revival Prior to Death (Exclusive)|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|date=August 14, 2023|accessdate=August 14, 2023|work=TVLine}}
On September 12, 2012, Hardwick created a YouTube channel, though it had no uploads until 2015. In December 2018, he started regularly uploading new content. As of June 2025, the channel has 24,000 subscribers and over 930,000 total views. The channel’s content primarily consists of song parodies and monologues in the voice of Dale Gribble.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEWhhzdNSwYnweIMkGGCDw|title=johnny hardwick|via=YouTube|access-date=May 1, 2023}}
Death
On August 8, 2023, Hardwick was found dead face-up in the bathtub at his home in Austin following a welfare check by local authorities. He was 64 years old at the time of his death.{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Greg |title=Johnny Hardwick Dies: 'King Of The Hill' Dale Gribble Voice Actor Was 64 |url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/johnny-hardwick-dead-king-of-the-hill-1235459599/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 10, 2023 |access-date=August 10, 2023}}{{cite news|author=Christopher Intagliata, Erika Ryan|title=Johnny Hardwick of 'King of the Hill' dies at 64|url=https://www.npr.org/2023/08/11/1193534627/johnny-hardwick-of-king-of-the-hill-dies-at-64|access-date=August 16, 2023|work=NPR|date=August 10, 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/johnny-hardwick-cause-manner-of-death-undetermined-1235662677/#! |title=Johnny Hardwick Cause and Manner of Death Undetermined |last=White |first=Abbey |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 17, 2023 |access-date=June 15, 2024}} In November, it was reported that the moderate decomposition of his body left the cause and manner of death unable to be established, but the examiner noted that his death appeared to be relatively sudden, that drowning was unlikely, and there were no obvious signs of trauma.{{cite web |url=https://people.com/king-of-the-hill-star-johnny-hardwick-cause-of-death-undetermined-8387147 |title=King of the Hill Star Johnny Hardwick's Cause of Death Remains Undetermined Due to State of Body |last=Wynne |first=Kelly |website=People |date=November 3, 2023 |access-date=November 18, 2023}}
Filmography
=Television=
| class="wikitable"
!scope="col"| Year !scope="col"| Title !scope="col"| Role !scope="col"| Notes |
| 1992
|scope="row"| An Evening at the Improv | Himself |
| 1997–2010; 2025
|scope="row"| King of the Hill | Dale Gribble, Additional voices | Six 2025 episodes recorded prior to death (posthumous release) |
| 2003
|scope="row"| The Making of King of the Hill | Himself |
| 2009
|scope="row"| Ace of Cakes | Himself | Episode: "King of Charm City"{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/johnny-hardwick-dead-king-of-the-hill-dale-1235693356/|title=Johnny Hardwick, Voice of Dale on 'King of the Hill,' Has Died|first=Zack|last=Sharf|date=August 10, 2023}} |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable"
!scope="col"| Year !scope="col"| Title !scope="col"| Role !scope="col"| Notes |
| 2000
|scope="row"| King of the Hill | rowspan=2|Dale Gribble |
| 2022
|scope="row"| Warped Kart Racers |
=Music videos=
| class="wikitable"
!scope="col"| Year !scope="col"| Title !scope="col"| Role !scope="col"| Notes |
| 1999
|scope="row"| Barenaked Ladies: Get in Line | Dale Gribble | Voice |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0362548}}
- {{discogs artist|Johnny Hardwick}}
{{Portal bar|Texas}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardwick, Johnny}}
Category:20th-century American comedians
Category:21st-century American comedians
Category:American male comedians
Category:American male voice actors
Category:Comedians from Austin, Texas
Category:Male actors from Austin, Texas
Category:Male actors from Houston
Category:Screenwriters from Texas
Category:Television producers from Texas