James B. Sikking (Brooklyn South, Invasion America), best known for portraying Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues and David Howser on Doogie Howser, M.D., recently passed away on Saturday at the age of 90, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As stated by his publicist, Cynthia Snyder, Sikking died in Los Angeles at his home due to complications from his dementia.
James Barrie Sikking, one of five siblings, was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934. He attended El Segundo High School and, following his military service, graduated from UCLA with a theater degree in 1959. His early career included appearances in 1961 on Perry Mason and Assignment: Underwater, and he went on to star in movies like The Carpetbaggers (1964), Von Ryan’s Express (1965) and In Like Flint (1967).
With almost twenty years of experience on shows including The Outer Limits, Honey West, The Fugitive, Hogan’s Heroes and Mannix, Sikking secured the role of Hunter, the pipe-smoking head of the Emergency Action Team, on NBC’s Hill Street Blues, which aired from 1981 to 1987. Steven Bochco (L.A. Law, NYPD Blue), the series’ co-creator along with Michael Kozoll (Delvecchio, Switch), allowed Sikking to craft his character. In portraying Hunter, Sikking drew inspiration from a drill instructor he met during basic training at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Sikking’s role spanned 144 episodes over the course of all seven seasons of the acclaimed drama. Additionally, he was nominated for an Emmy in 1984 for his portrayal of Hunter.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bochco cast Sikking once more for Doogie Howser, where he portrayed David Howser, a Vietnam veteran turned family doctor, husband to Belinda Montgomery’s (Man From Atlantis, Days of Our Lives) Katherine, and father to Doogie, played by Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, A Series of Unfortunate Events). Sikking played David Howser throughout all four seasons of the ABC show from 1989 to 1993.
Besides acting, Sikking was dedicated to raising funds for cystic fibrosis and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Through the SAG Book Pals program, he spent 19 years reading to third-grade classes in public schools, earning the affectionate nickname “Jim the Reader.”
Sikking leaves behind his second wife, Florine Sikking (Knott’s Berry Farmbook, Disneyland Cookbook), an author he met at UCLA and married in September 1962; their children, Emily and Andrew; and their grandchildren, Lola, Gemma, Hugh and Madeline.