James B. Sikking, known for his roles as Lt. Howard Hunter in “Hill Street Blues” and the father of the main character in “Doogie Howser DogMD”, died. He was 90 years old.
Sikking died Saturday from complications of dementia, his publicist Cynthia Synder said in a statement Sunday night.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully moving face brought us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farce,” Snyder shared with Variety“His career spanned more than six decades in television, film and theater.”
Sikking was widely recognized for his portrayal of Howard Hunter on the police series “Hill Street Blues,” which aired from 1981 to 1987 on NBC. He received an Emmy nomination in 1984 for his portrayal of the clean-cut, pipe-smoking lieutenant.
After “Hill Street Blues,” Sikking played Dr. David Howser, father of Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris), for four seasons of the ABC medical comedy, from 1989 to 1993.
He again played a police officer for Steven Bochco, co-creator of “Hill Street Blues” and “Doogie Howser, MD,” on the short-lived CBS series “Brooklyn South” (1997-98).
Early in his career, Sikking made guest appearances on such television series as “Perry Mason,” “General Hospital,” “The Outer Limits,” “The Fugitive,” “Rawhide,” “Bonanza,” “Ironside,” “Starsky & Hutch” and “The Rockford Files,” before becoming a series regular on “Hill Street Blues.” In 2004, he appeared in two episodes of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
On the film front, he was known for portraying Captain Styles in 1984’s “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” directed by and starring Leonard Nimoy, and the FBI director in Alan J. Pakula’s 1993 legal thriller “The Pelican Brief.” Other film credits include “Point Blank,” “Made of Honor,” “Fever Pitch,” “Charro!,” “Final Approach,” “Ordinary People,” “Terminal Man” and “Von Ryan’s Express”; he worked on four films directed by Peter Hyams: “Capricorn One,” “Outland,” “The Star Chamber” and “Narrow Margin.”
The youngest of five children, James Barrie Sikking (named after the author of “Peter Pan”) was born on March 5, 1934, in Los Angeles, to Andy and Sue Sikking. He graduated in 1959 with a degree in theater arts from UCLA, where he met Florine Caplan, his wife of more than 60 years.
Sikking is survived by his wife, son Andrew (Paula), daughter Dr. Emily Sikking (Mallory “Chip” Milam) and four grandchildren, Lola and Gemma Sikking and Hugh and Madeline “Maddie” Milam.