Ian Abercrombie of 'Seinfeld' dies at 77

Ian Abercrombie, the British actor who played Elaine's crochety boss Mr. Pitt on "Seinfeld," died last Thursday (Jan. 26) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, reports a family friend to the LA Times. He had recently been diagnosed with lymphoma.

He said in a 1998 interview with CNN that the show changed his life forever.

"Incredibly so," Abercrombie said at the time. "I mean, I have been around as an actor for 40-odd years, and this show knocked me out of the ballpark."

Abercrombie was born in Essex, England, but moved to the United States in 1951 at the age of 17 and made his stage debut in "Stalag 17" with Jason Robards in 1955. He was known mostly for his stage work prior to his role on "Seinfeld," though he did also have some roles in movies and on TV, including "Army of Darkness" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."

He was also a founding member of BAFTA-LA. He is survived by his brothers Douglas, Donald and Alex.