Ian Abercrombie, Elaine's Boss on Seinfeld, Dies at 77

By Tim Nudd

01/30/2012 at 08:20 AM EST

Ian Abercrombie, the British character actor who found fame later in life by playing Elaine's boss Mr. Pitt on Seinfeld, has died at 77.

Abercrombie passed away Thursday of complications from kidney failure, having been diagnosed with lymphoma, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Having started his career as a dancer, Abercrombie spent four decades acting on the stage, screen and TV, before his seven episodes on Seinfeld changed his life.

"Incredibly so," he told CNN in 1998. "I mean, I have been around as an actor for 40-odd years, and this show knocked me out of the ballpark."



As Elaine's boss, he said, "I was a pain in the neck. I was a hypochondriac. I was many things, and I just made her life so miserable. She wouldn't take the salt off my pretzels, you know. She brought me white socks … she did a lot of things for me, but she could never do it right."