ACTOR James B. Sikking has died aged 90 following a battle with dementia.
Sikking, best known for his role on the series Hill Street Blues, died at his Los Angeles home.
The actor’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder, said he died “peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by family,” on Saturday, according to PEOPLE.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse,” Snyder also said, according to Forbes.
“His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences,” she added.
Sikking was known for his unique acting, including his expressive faces.
His career spanned six decades and he even became an Emmy nominee in 1984.
He landed the near Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series accolade for his role as Dr. David Howser on the sitcom Doogie Howser, M.D., which also starred Neil Patrick Harris.
The actor slowly started his career in the 60s and 70s, when he appeared on 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 landed joined the cast of the show he would become most famous for in 1981.
He had previously explained how his life before acting had inspired his role on Hill Street Blues.
Sikking was born in Los Angeles in 1934 and later received a degree in Theatre Arts from UCLA.
He had briefly served in the Army, while in college, and said his drill instructor in basic training had inspired his character in the series.
“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,” he said to The Seattle Times a decade ago..
“So when I started to play Howard, I picked out the way he should be dressed.
“It had to be a very military look. He had to have those jump boots.”
Sikking brought his talents into the 2000’s after he appeared on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm twice in 2004.
Aside from acting, Sikking had done lots of charity work and fundraising.
He was passionate about raising money for cystic fibrosis and the Susan G. Koman Foundation, an organization that had worked to fight breast cancer.
Sikking has also read to public school third-grade classes for nearly two decades and was known as “Jim the Reader.”
The actor left behind his wife of over 60 years, Florine, his two children, and four grandchildren.
