Who was Mark Blum? You’s season 3 premiere tribute explained

During the third season premiere, the show paid respect to Mark Blum, who played bookshop owner, Mr. Mooney, in season one of You.

Mark Blum

You, the hit Netflix show, recently returned with all-new episodes, including a tribute that took viewers back to season one.

A title card appeared ahead of the regular credits at the end of the season three opener, reading “In loving memory Mark Blum.”

Blum, who died in March 2020 at the age of 69 from coronavirus complications, was a successful Broadway actor who also appeared in a number of notable television shows and films.


During the first season of You, he played Mr. Mooney, a former prison guard turned book store proprietor. Joe (Penn Badgley) was adopted by Mooney after being placed in a foster family as a child, and Joe eventually worked as a manager at his bookstore.


Mooney’s presence (along with the business itself) would become a program staple, with the character serving as both a mentor and a father figure.

Blum began his acting career in the 1970s, quickly establishing himself as a fixture on the New York theater scene and participating in a number of Broadway shows.

He moved to the big screen in the 1980s, starring in films such as Desperately Seeking Susan, Crocodile Dundee, Blind Date, and The Presidio.

He continued to work throughout the 1990s, guest-starring on a variety of popular shows such as Roseanne, Law & Order, NYPD Blue, Frasier, The Sopranos, The West Wing, The Practice, and CSI: Miami.

His most recent guest appearances were Mozart in the Jungle and Succession.

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