Actor Robert Pastorelli dead at 49

LOS ANGELES, March 9 (UPI) -- Actor Robert Pastorelli, who played house painter Eldin Bernecky on "Murphy Brown," has died. He was 49.

Police said Pastorelli was found dead Monday at his Los Angeles home. The cause of death was not immediately known and there was no sign of foul play. Pastorelli was filming the movie version of Elmore Leonard's novel "Be Cool."

A former boxer, Pastorelli struggled with substance abuse as a young man before pursuing a career in the theater in New York. In Hollywood, he landed "tough-guy" roles in such features as "Outrageous Fortune" and "Beverly Hills Cop II," before landing his signature role in "Murphy Brown."

He played the eccentric house painter on the CBS comedy from 1988 to 1994. When he reprised the role in 1995, he won an Emmy nomination for Oustanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.