Rip Torn, who won an Emmy as The Larry Sanders Show's Artie the producer, dies at 88

The Hollywood Reporter

Torn, who died peacefully at his home in Lakeville, Connecticut on Tuesday with his family by his side, received so much acclaim as the fiercely protective Larry Sanders Show producer Artie that he was nominated for six Emmys for the role, winning once in 1996 for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In all, Torn was nominated for nine Emmys, including for guest roles on Chicago hope and 30 Rock, where he played the CEO of General Electric and Jack Donaghy's boss. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Torn said he took the Larry Sanders job because he owed his family members a lot of money -- while producers thought he'd be perfect for the role after seeing him in Albert Brooks' 1991 film Defending Your Life. "With Rip, he came in the first time, and his agent said he wouldn't read," the late Garry Shandling said in a 2012 interview with RogerEbert.com. "Weeks later, it was just him and me in a room with no one else, and I said to Rip, 'Could we read half of this together?' And he said, 'I don't want to read.' I said, 'That's totally fine,' and I pushed it to the side of the table. We talked for less than another minute, and he reached over and took the page, and he starts the scene. It's like trying to describe a good date to a friend the next day. I had to say to HBO and everybody else, 'Honestly, this is the best sex I have had.'" Alec Baldwin tweeted of working with Torn on 30 Rock: "He was a deeply committed, phenomenal actor. See you down the road, Rip. You wonderful madman."