James B. Sikking has died at the age of 90.
James B. Sikking has died at the age of 90
The actor was best known for starring as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ‘Hill Street Blues’ and had a career that spanned over several decades but passed away over the weekend following a battle with dementia, his publicist Cynthia Synder confirmed to Variety on Sunday (14.07.24) evening.
She added: “In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farce.
“His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage.”
The TV star is survived by his wife Florine Sikking – a cookbook author whom he married in 1962 – and their three children.
James began his television career with guest appearances on hit shows like ‘Perry Mason’, ‘General Hospital’ and ‘The Fugitive’ and one of his earliest appearances was a small role in the 1968 film ‘Charro!’ alongside Elvis Presley.
In the early 1980s, he landed his signature role on the serial police procedural show ‘Hill Street Blues’ , which he played over the course of six years.
Following this, he joined the cast of ‘Doogie Howser, M.D’, where he played the father of the titular character (Neil Patrick Harris) and remained with the show throughout its run.
The actor then appeared in a string of made-for-TV movies through the 1990s and made two episodes of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ in 2004 before starring alongside Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in the 2005 comedy ‘Fever Pitch’.
His final on-screen appearance came in a 2012 episode of ‘The Closer’, where he played Judge Edward Crosby.
Speaking about his most famous role in 2021, he told Cinema-MovieTheater: “Howard Hunter on “Hill Street Blues” because he was complicated and not always likable.
“I was an easy going, happy guy so I had to find the humanity in him.
“Howard was not ever totally happy or loveable and you have to find
qualities to endear him to an audience without making him an exaggeration or unbelievable.
He had to be totally believable.”
