Mark York, an actor famously known for playing Bill Merchant in the popular series “The Office” has passed away. Mark was 55 years old.
As told by an obituary for the actor, which was published last week, York died on May 19 at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio following “a brief and unexpected illness”. However, the exact cause of death hasn’t been announced. According to the reports Mark was paraplegic since 1988.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed the news of York’s death. Mark’s obit said, “He always tried to look at what he could accomplish and do, not what he couldn’t do. He has experienced many travel opportunities and many dreams for the future.”
Soon after the news of his death came out, people and other celebrities shared their condolences. Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute in “The Office” tweeted, “R.I.P. Mark York, AKA BILLY MERCHANT from The Office… He was a terrific human, a positive force and a dynamic actor. You will be missed.”
Pam Beesely aka Jenna Fischer also paid tribute to York and wished for his family. Jenna wrote, “Mark was a lovely man and a pleasure to work with. Very funny every time. Much love to his family.”
York appeared in “The Office” in the beginning years of the show. He played Bill Merchant, the property manager of the Scranton Business Park. He was first seen in Season 1’s episode titled “The Injury”, where Bill becomes the target of Michael Scott’s ignorance. After that, he has appeared in the show a few more times, and his performance was praised by the audience.
In 2010, talking about revert from fans for Bill Merchant, Mark told, ““The letters I get about the character are great,” York said in a 2010 interview with People. “One fan wrote, ‘You’re just trying to do your job and you shed light on how crazy office politics can be for [workers with disabilities] to interact with co-workers in a normal setting.”
Other than “The Office”, Mark has also been known for “CSI: New York”, “8 Simple Rules” and “A.I. Artificial Intelligence”.
Mark is survived by his mother- Becky, father-Glenn, three brothers- Brian, Jeff and David, and other family and friends.
