‘The F.B.I’ Star William Reynolds & ‘Seinfeld’ Actor Richard Roat Die
William Reynolds, who played Special Agent Tom Colby in six seasons of the television series The F.B.I., and Richard Roat, a character actor who appeared in shows such as Seinfeld and Friends, have both passed away.
Roat died on Friday, August 5, in Orange County, CA, according to his family. He was 89. There are no other details relating to a cause of death. Born on July 3, 1933, in Hartford, CT, Roat began his career in small TV parts before landing the role of Dr. Jerry Chandler in the NBC soap opera The Doctors in 1962, appearing in more than 170 episodes during the show’s first year.
He went on to guest star on a 1965 episode of The Fugitive before becoming a prolific character actor in the 1970s and beyond. Over his career, he has appeared in iconic TV shows such as Hawaii Five-O, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dallas, Happy Days, Murphy Brown, Lois & Clark, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Cheers, and many more.
One of Roat’s most memorable roles came in a 1998 episode of Seinfeld, “The Package,” where he played one of the doctors who found Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Elaine Benes to be a “difficult patient.” He had another significant sitcom appearance when he starred in a 2000 episode of Friends as the professor who busts David Schwimmer‘s Ross for dating a student.
Reynolds, meanwhile, died on Wednesday, August 24, from non-Covid pneumonia complications, according to his son Eric Reynolds. He was 90. Born on December 9, 1931, in Los Angeles, CA, Reynolds signed with Universal Studios in 1952 and appeared in films such as Carrie (1952), where he played Laurence Olivier’s son. Playing the son of the leading character became common, for example of Jane Wyman in All That Heaven Allows and Fred MacMurray in There’s Always Tomorrow.
After becoming tired of his stereotyped roles in movies, Reynolds transitioned to television in 1958, where he appeared in shows such as Maverick, Pete Kelly’s Blues, and The Islanders. But his big break came in 1966 when he guest starred in the first two seasons of ABC’s The F.B.I. before becoming a series regular as Special Agent Tom Colby from 1967 to 1973. Reynolds left showbusiness after The F.B.I. ended its run.
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