James Sikking, ‘Hill Street Blues’ and ‘Doogie Howser, M.D.’ Star, Dies at 90

Disney General Entertainment Con

James B. Sikking, known for his roles as Lt. Howard Hunter on “Hill Street Blues” and the titular character’s father on “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” has died. He was 90.

Sikking died Saturday of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Synder said in a statement Sunday evening.

“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse,” Snyder shared with Variety. “His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage.”

Sikking was widely recognized for his portrayal of Howard Hunter on the police procedural series “Hill Street Blues,” which aired from 1981 to 1987 on NBC. He received an Emmy nomination in 1984 for his performance as the clean-cut, pipe-smoking lieutenant.

After “Hill Street Blues,” Sikking played Dr. David Howser, father of Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris), for all four seasons of the ABC medical sitcom from 1989 to 1993.

He portrayed a police officer again for Steven Bochco, co-creator of “Hill Street Blues” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” on the short-lived CBS series “Brooklyn South” (1997-98).

Early in his career, Sikking did guest stints 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 side, he was known for playing Captain Styles in 1984’s “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” directed by and starring Leonard Nimoy, and the director of the FBI in Alan J. Pakula’s 1993 legal thriller “The Pelican Brief.” Additional 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, James Barrie Sikking (named after the “Peter Pan” author) was born on March 5, 1934, in Los Angeles, to Andy and Sue Sikking. He graduated in 1959 with a degree in theatre arts from UCLA, where he met Florine Caplan, his wife of more than 60 years.

Sikking is survived by wife, son Andrew (Paula), daughter Dr. Emily Sikking (Mallory “Chip” Milam) and four grandchildren, Lola and Gemma Sikking and Hugh and Madeline “Maddie” Milam.