Disney General Entertainment Con
James P. Sicking, best known as Lt. Howard Hunter on “Hill Street Blues” and the father of the titular character on “Doogie Houser, MD,” has died. He is 90 years old.
Sicking died Saturday of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Sinter said in a statement Sunday evening.
“In a remarkable career, Sicking’s wonderfully enthusiastic face has given us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarity,” shares Snyder. Variety. “His career spanned more than six decades on television, film and the stage.”
Sicking is 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 portrayal of the clean-cut, pipe-smoking lieutenant.
After “Hill Street Blues,” Sicking starred as Dr. David Houser, the father of Doogie Houser (Neil Patrick Harris), for four seasons of the ABC medical sitcom from 1989 to 1993.
He again portrayed a police officer in the short-lived CBS series “Brooklyn South” (1997-98) for “Hill Street Blues” and “Doogie Houser, MD” co-creator Steven Bocho.
Early in his career, Sicking made guest appearances on television series such as “Perry Mason,” “General Hospital,” “The Outer Limits,” “The Fugitive,” “Rawhide,” “Bonanza,” “Ironside,” “Starsky & Before turning into the series “Hill Street Blues,” Hutch, and “The Rockford Piles” in 2004, he appeared in two episodes of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
On the film side, he is best known for his role as Captain Stiles in 1984’s “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” directed by and starring Leonard Nimoy, and starring Alan J. Bakula’s 1993 legal thriller “The Pelican Brief” was the director of the FBI. .” Additional film credits include “Point Blank,” “Made of Honor,” “Fever Pitch,” “Charro!,” “Final Approach,” “Ordinary People,” “Terminal Man” and “Van Ryan’s Express”; Peter He worked on four films directed by Himes: “Capricorn One,” “Outland,” “The Star Chamber” and “Nero Margin.”
The youngest of five children, James Barry Sicking (named after the author of “Peter Pan”) was born on March 5, 1934, in Los Angeles to Andy and Sue Sicking. He graduated from UCLA in 1959 with a degree in theater arts, where he met his wife of more than 60 years, Florine Kaplan.
Sicking is survived by his wife, son Andrew (Paula), daughter Dr. Emily Sicking (Mallory “Chip” Milam) and four grandchildren, Lola and Gemma Sicking and Hugh and Madeline “Maddie” Milam.
