R.I.P. James B. Sikking, Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser, M.D. star

James B. Sikking, the actor best known for roles on Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser, M.D., has died, according to Deadline. His publicist confirmed that he died at home in Los Angeles surrounded by family on Saturday after suffering complications of dementia. He was 90 years old.

“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse. His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage. His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences,” publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement.

Sikking was born in Los Angeles and served in the military before graduating from UCLA with a degree in theater. He appeared as a guest in various television series throughout the 1960s, including Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, Bonanza, and Hogan’s Heroes. On the big screen, he had roles in Von Ryan’s Express with Frank Sinatra, and Charro! with Elvis; later films include Ordinary People, Scorpio, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and The Pelican Brief, among others. His prolific television career continued throughout the ’70s, most notably playing the role of Dr. James Hobart on General Hospital.

The most fruitful collaboration of Sikking’s career came after working on an episode of NBC’s Name Of The Game where writer Steven Bochco was serving as story editor, per The Hollywood Reporter. He went on to appear in the Bochco-penned shows Delvecchio, Paris, and Turnabout before Bochco cast him as the Emergency Action Team leader Lt. Howard Hunter on the iconic series Hill Street Blues. Bochco later recruited Sikking again to play Dr. David Howser, the father of Neil Patrick Harris’ titular prodigy on Doogie Howser, M.D. “Steven just has this fecund story mind,” Sikking said of the legendary writer-producer in a 2014 New York Times retrospective on Hill Street. “But he needs to have really good writers to do it for him. He knows talent in writing; he has the gift of knowing who has got it.”

Per Deadline, Sikking is survived by wife Florine, son Andrew, daughter Dr. Emily Sikking, and four grandchildren.