In the early 2000s, “Two and a Half Men” was one of the most talked-about sitcoms on the air. Not just because it was side-splittingly funny, but because it starred Hollywood bad boy Charlie Sheen, and was the actor’s first major TV role after the end of the wildly popular “Spin City,” where he’d replaced original star Michael J. Fox in the show’s final two seasons. This time, Sheen was paired with fellow ’80s favorite Jon Cryer (“Pretty in Pink”), and the two played mismatched brothers Charlie and Alan Harper.
Charlie is the wild, cavalier womanizer whose life is turned upside down when Alex — the straight-laced stick-in-the-mud — moves in with him, with his son Jake in tow. While the series put a firm focus on Charlie and Alex, it also had a large ensemble cast. And of course, after a public controversy, it was Sheen’s time to cede his show to a replacement, and Ashton Kutcher arrived in the show’s last four seasons to replace him. Between its star cast, recurring regulars, and myriad cameos, plenty of actors passed through “Two and a Half Men.” Unfortunately, since their appearances on the show, the world has lost several of those actors. With the series celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, it’s time to celebrate the life of “Two and a Half Men” actors who you may not know passed away.
Carl Reiner
There are few bigger legends in the world of comedy than actor, writer, director, and producer Carl Reiner. While some may know his son Rob Reiner better, father Carl crafted some of the wackiest comedies of the 20th century, including “Oh, God!” with George Burns, “The Jerk,” and “The Man with Two Brains” with Steve Martin, and “Summer Rental” with John Candy. Like his son Rob, who guest-starred as Jess’s (Zooey Deschanel) father on “New Girl,” Carl had a recurring role as a father figure of Charlie Sheen’s character on “Two and a Half Men,” playing TV producer Marty Pepper, the boyfriend of Charlie’s mother Evelyn (Holland Taylor).
Though more well-known for being a producer, writer, and director, the 2000s sitcom was by no means Reiner’s only on-screen role, and his acting reel is actually longer than his directing resume. Modern audiences may remember him for his role as Saul Bloom in all three “Oceans 11” movies, but he also had small parts in many of his own films, while also being the voice of God himself in “History of the World, Part I.” His final performance came in “Toy Story 4,” where he appropriately played Carl Reineroceros. At the age of 98 in 2020, Reiner died of natural causes.
Conchata Ferrell
Though most of the main cast of “Two and a Half Men” is thankfully still with us, there’s one series regular we’ve lost: Conchata Ferrell. In the series, Ferrell played Berta, the upbeat, jovial housekeeper who’s never afraid to speak her mind. She doesn’t always get along with the Harper kids, but she’s always loyal, and her role only got bigger when star Charlie Sheen departed the show. She stayed with the series through all 12 seasons, making Berta the most iconic role of her long career, and that’s saying a lot, because she appeared in a number of classics.
Back in the 1980s, Ferrell was known for her part as good-natured neighbor Helen in “Edward Scissorhands,” and not long after she joined the cast of “L.A. Law” as Susan Bloom. In the late ’90s, Ferrell did an episode of “ER” — a decade after starring in the short-lived medical comedy “E/R” — and then starred as Dr. Stoessinger in the final two seasons of the John Ritter sitcom “Hearts Afire.” A three-time Emmy Award nominee, Ferrell suffered a heart attack in 2020, dying on October 12th at the age of 77.
