US comedian Orson Bean dies after being hit by car

According to authorities, Bean, 91, was hit by a car in Los Angeles.
According to authorities, Bean, 91, was hit by a car in Los Angeles. Photo credit: Getty.

US veteran actor and comedian Orson Bean has died after being hit by a car.

According to authorities, the traffic-related incident occured in Los Angeles on Friday night. 

The accident involved two cars and two drivers, CBS reported.

Bean, 91, was attempting to cross two different blocks on a busy Venice Boulevard when a car driver clipped him. He was then struck by a second vehicle that killed him, police said.

Bean appeared as a host on To Tell the Truth, performed on Broadway, was in the cult classic Being John Malkovich, and wrote a book called Love Letter to an Ex-Wife.

He is remembered from the 1950s onwards for his many television appearances on different networks and likeable personality. 

Born as Dallas Frederick Burrows in 1928, he chose his stage name "Orson Bean" because it "sounded funny". 

He was known as a free spirit, successful comedian and was described The New York Times in 1993 as a "one-man entertainment industry".