The Hollywood star James B. Sikking, who was best known for playing a stern lieutenant in the beloved television show Hill Street Blues, died on Saturday. He was 90 years old.
Folks of a certain age remember Hill Street Blues as a beloved and groundbreaking police drama.
Sikking Passes Away
Sikking’s death was confirmed by his publicist Cynthia Snyder.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse,” Snyder told Variety. “His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage.”
Sikking reportedly died at his home in Los Angeles, California after battling dementia.
Born in Los Angeles in 1934, Sikking got his start on shows like Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, and General Hospital.
Hill Street Blues
Sikking’s big break came in 1981, when he was cast as Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues. Indeed, his character was the head of the Emergency Action Team.
Sikking starred in the show on all 144 episodes of its entire seven season run. Later, in 1984, Sikking was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on the show. He ultimately lost out his Hill Street Blues co-star Bruce Weitz.
Sikking served in the Army in his youth. He later said that he drew upon this experience to play Hunter.
“The drill instructor looked like he had steel for hair, and his uniform had so much starch in it, you knew it would sit in the corner when he took it off in the barracks,” Sikking recalled to The Fresno Bee in 2014.
“So when I started to play Howard, I picked out the way he should be dressed,” he continued. “It had to be a very military look. He had to have those jump boots. When people asked me where I got the idea for his look, I told them it was the same look I had in the Army.”
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Doogie Howser, M.D.
Sikking later starred in Doogie Howser, M.D., as the father of the show’s title character, who was played by Neil Patrick Harris. In the wake of Sikking’s death, Harris took to social media to pay tribute to him.
“He treated everyone with respect, taught me countless lessons, yet always had a spark of mischief in his eyes. It was an absolute honor to be his son,” Harris continued. “My condolences to his actual family for their loss.”
Harris added the hashtag “#RIP” at the end of his tribute.
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Sikking’s Later Career
Later on, Sikking made appearances in Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and the police procedural The Closer.
In the world of movies, Sikking also had roles in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, The Pelican Brief, and Point Blank. His final credited role was in the 2012 movie Just An American.
People Magazine additionally reported that Sikking is survived by his beloved wife Florine, who he was married to for 61 years. He’s also survived by their son Andrew, daughter Dr. Emily Sikking (Mallory ‘Chip’ Milam), and four grandchildren.
Please join us in saying a prayer for Sikking’s loved ones during this difficult time.
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