James Sikking, star of ‘Hill Street Blues,’ ‘Doogie Howser, M.D.,’ dies at 90

James Sikking, who starred arsenic a hardened constabulary lieutenant connected Hill Street Blues and arsenic nan titular character’s kindhearted dada on Doogie Howser, M.D., has died astatine 90.

Sikking died of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Snyder said successful a connection Sunday evening.

Born nan youngest of 5 children connected March 5, 1934, successful Los Angeles, his early acting ventures included an uncredited portion successful Roger Corman’s Five Guns West and a spot domiciled successful an section of Perry Mason. He besides secured impermanent spots successful a litany of celebrated 1970s tv series, from nan action-packed Mission: Impossible, M.A.S.H., The F.B.I., The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O and Charlie’s Angels to Eight is Enough and Little House connected nan Prairie.

Hill Street Blues would debut successful 1981, a caller return connected nan accepted constabulary procedural. Sikking played Lieutenant Howard Hunter, a clean-cut Vietnam War seasoned who headed nan Emergency Action Team of nan Metropolitan Police Department successful a never-named city.

The acclaimed show was a drama, but Sikking’s character’s uptight quality and quirks were often utilized to comic effect. Sikking based his capacity connected a drill coach he’d had astatine basal training erstwhile subject work trim done his clip astatine nan University of California, L.A., from which he graduated successful 1959.

“The drill coach looked for illustration he had alloy for hairsbreadth and his azygous had truthful overmuch starch successful it, you knew it would beryllium successful nan area erstwhile he took it disconnected successful nan barracks,” he told The Fresno Bee successful 2014, erstwhile he did a bid of interviews pinch various publications marking nan container set’s release.

When it debuted connected nan heels of a Hollywood dual strike, nan NBC show was met pinch debased ratings and small fanfare. But nan struggling web kept it connected nan air: “Up popped this connection ‘demographic,’” Sikking told nan Star Tribune successful 2014. “We were reaching group pinch a definite acquisition and (who) made a definite benignant of money. They called it nan ‘Esquire audience.’”

The show yet ran until 1987, though for a little infinitesimal it wasn’t clear Sikking would make it that far. A December 1983 section ended pinch his characteristic contemplating dying by suicide. The cliffhanger drew comparisons to nan “Who changeable J.R.?” enigma from Dallas not agelong earlier — though it was quickly resolved erstwhile TV supplements accidentally ran a teaser summary that made it clear Hunter had been saved.

“I retrieve erstwhile Howard tried to termination himself. My relative called and asked, ‘You still sewage a job?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘Oh good,’ and past hung up,” Sikking told The Fresno Bee.

Sikking would gain an Emmy information for outstanding supporting character successful a play successful 1984. The look and format of Hill Street Blues were thing caller to Sikking — and galore successful nan audience, from nan grimy look of nan group to nan aggregate storylines that often kept actors moving successful nan background, moreover erstwhile they didn’t person lines successful nan scene.

“It was a batch of difficult work, but everybody loved it and that shows. When you person nan group who are progressive successful nan creation, manufacture — immoderate you want to telephone it — who are really into it and bask doing it, you’re going to get a bully product,” he told Parade.com successful 2014. “We ever had 3 different stories moving done (each episode), which intends you had to perceive and you had to salary attraction because everything was important.”

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Aside from Hill Street Blues, Sikking played Captain Styles successful 1984’s Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He wasn’t enthusiastic astir nan domiciled but had been lured by nan thought that it would return conscionable a time connected set.

“It was not my cup of tea. I was not into that benignant of outer abstraction business. I had an arrogant constituent of position successful those days. I wanted to do existent theater. I wanted to do superior shows, not thing astir somebody’s imagination of what outer abstraction was going to beryllium like,” Sikking explained to startrek.com successful 2014. “So I had a silly prejudice against it, which is bizarre because I’ve astir apt and happily signed much this, that aliases nan different point of ‘Star Trek’ than I person thing of each nan different activity I’ve done.”

After nan extremity of Hill Street Blues, he acted successful astir 100 episodes of Doogie Howser, M.D., reuniting pinch Steven Bochco, who co-created some Hill Street Blues and nan Neil Patrick Harris-starring sitcom.

He joined Florine Caplan, pinch whom he had 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

Sikking had each but retired by nan clip nan container group of Hill Street Blues came out. He had less but memorable roles aft nan move of nan millennium, guest-starring connected Curb Your Enthusiasm and acting successful nan rom-com films Fever Pitch and Made of Honor. His past roles were arsenic a impermanent prima connected a 2012 section of The Closer and successful a movie that aforesaid year, Just an American.

Sikking continued to do kindness events. He was a longtime subordinate successful personage play tournaments and moreover erstwhile made it to nan ribbon-cutting for a wellness halfway successful an Iowa municipality of conscionable 7,200 people.

“Actually, I came to get thing from you — aerial I can’t see,” Sikking told nan crowd of 100 people. “Where we’re from, if it isn’t brown, we don’t cognize really to respire it,” The Associated Press reported successful 1982.

“I astir apt would do thing if it sewage maine going. Acting is simply a licence to do self-investigation. It’s a awesome ego travel to beryllium an actor,” he told startrek.com successful 2014. “I must opportunity that, successful nan past fewer years successful which I haven’t worked, nan obscurity has been rather attractive.”

“The condiment of my life is bully fortune,” he finished.