Allan Melvin aka 'Sam the Butcher', dead at 84

[Uncle B]

All in the Family / Brady Bunch Star Allan Melvin Dead at 84

All in the Family star Allan Melvin, who played Archie Bunker's neighbor on the seminal 1970s sitcom, died in Los Angeles Thursday. He was 84.

Melvin, who also starred on The Phil Silvers Show, The Brady Bunch, and The Andy Griffith Show, passed away from cancer, said his wife, Amalia, the LA Times reports.

Melvin was a popular character actor who worked mostly in 1950s, '60s and '70s on TV and the stage. He was the voice of Bluto on the Popeye cartoon and Hanna Barbera's Magilla Gorilla. He also had roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show and Gomer Pyle.

After starting his career as a stand-up impressionist and stage actor, Melvin moved into TV acting and commercials. Born in 1923 in Kansas City, Mo., Melvin grew up in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University.

Melvin retired in the early 1990s. He told PEOPLE in 1996, "I've enjoyed the stuff I've done, but the one you're getting paid for, that's what you enjoy most." 

He is survived by his wife; daughter, Jennifer Hanson; and a grandson. Services are private.