ACTOR James B. Sikking has died aged 90 after a battle with dementia.
Sikking, best known for his role in the series Hill Street Blues, has died at his home in Los Angeles.
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The actor’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder, said he died “peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family” on Saturday, according to PEOPLE.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully moving face has given us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farce,” Snyder also said, according to Forbes.
“His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and enchanted audiences,” she added.
Sikking was known for his unique acting, including his expressive faces.
His career spanned six decades and he was even nominated for an Emmy in 1984.
He won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Dr. David Howser on the sitcom Doogie Howser, MD, which also starred Neil Patrick Harris.
The actor slowly began his career in the 60s and 70s, when he appeared in major shows like M*A*S*H, Mission: Impossible and Charlie’s Angels.
Sikking’s other later iconic appearances were on shows like Little House on the Prairie and Brooklyn South.
The actor joined the cast of the show he would become most famous for in 1981.
He has previously explained how his life before acting inspired his role in Hill Street Blues.
Sikking was born in Los Angeles in 1934 and later earned a degree in Theater Arts from UCLA.
He briefly served in the Army while in college and said his basic training instructor inspired his character on the series.
“The instructor looked like he had hair of steel, and his uniform had so much starch on it that you knew he would be in the corner when he took it off in the barracks,” he told the The Seattle Times a decade ago…
“So when I started playing Howard, I chose how he should dress.
“It had to have a very military look. He had to have those heeled boots.”
Sikking brought his talents into the 2000s after appearing twice on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2004.
In addition to acting, Sikking has done a lot of charity work and fundraising.
He was passionate about raising money for cystic fibrosis and the Susan G. Koman Foundation, an organization working to combat breast cancer.
Sikking also read to third-grade public school classes for nearly two decades and was known as “Jim the Reader.”
The actor left behind his wife of more than 60 years, Florine, his two children and four grandchildren.
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