NEW YORK (AP) – Michael Vale, the actor best known for his portrayal of the sleepy-eyed Dunkin’ Donuts baker who said “Time to make the doughnuts,” has died at age 83.

Vale died Saturday in New York of complications from diabetes, his son-in law Rick Reil said.

Vale’s long-running character for the doughnut maker’s ad campaign, Fred the Baker, lasted 15 years, until he retired in 1997.

Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts said in a statement that Vale’s character “became a beloved American icon that permeated our culture and touched millions with his sense of humor and humble nature.”

Vale was born in Brooklyn and studied acting at the Dramatic Workshop in New York with classmates Tony Curtis, Ben Gazzara and Rod Steiger.

The veteran of the Broadway stage, film and television appeared in more than 1,300 TV commercials.

AP-ES-12-27-05 2138EST