Dirk Blocker

When he scored his first acting gig at the young age of 16, Dirk Blocker couldn't have known for sure that he was setting the stage for the rest of his life. Inheriting the trade from his TV star father Dan Blocker, Dirk made his way into every small screen series imaginable, going on to land parts in films as well. Blocker landed his biggest part of all in his late 50s: the actor climbed aboard the comedy series "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (Fox 2013-), cementing his legacy as second-rate police officer Michael Hitchcock.

After committing decades to show business as a reliable character actor and supporting player, Blocker discovered in the bumbling Hitchcock the kind of celebration any actor longs to find. Dennis Dirk Blocker was born on July 31, 1957 in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Given his hometown and the show business renown of his father Dan Blocker, star of the TV series "Bonanza" (NBC 1959-1973), Dirk was virtually fated for a career in acting.

He joined his father onscreen for the first time in a 1964 car commercial, taking to professional performance a decade later. Blocker's acting debut took way on a fifth season episode of the medical drama series "Marcus Welby, M.D." (ABC 1969-1976), which he followed quickly with turns on likewise popular programs including "Little House on the Prairie" (NBC 1974-1983) and "Phyllis" (CBS 1975-77). Blocker landed his first regular role at age 19, playing Lt. Jerry Bragg on the military drama series "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (NBC 1976-78), also known as "Black Sheep Squadron."

Following the termination of his series, Blocker aimed to make the move to the big screen. He made his debut in the family comedy "Midnight Madness" (1980), appearing thereafter in the thriller "Raise the Titanic" (1980). His first picture of true renown, however, was the Steven Spielberg-produced horror film "Poltergeist" (1982), in which he played the supporting character Jeff Shaw. The decades to follow treated Blocker to a steady flow of small parts in film and television.

Following a costarring turn on the short-lived medical drama "Ryan's Four" (ABC 1983), Blocker appeared briefly in such movies as "Starman" (1984), "Trouble in Mind" (1985), "Made in Heaven" (1987), "Prince of Darkness" (1987), "Born to Race" (1988), "Pink Cadillac" (1989), and "Cutting Class" (1989). Blocker paved his run through the '90s with work on series including "Matlock" (ABC 1986-1995), "Doogie Howser, M.D." (ABC 1989-1993), "Murder She Wrote" (CBS 1984-1996), "Walker, Texas Ranger" (CBS 1993-2001), as well as a recurring part on the short-lived soap opera "Pacific Palisades" (Fox 1997).

Blocker's career slowed down a bit upon the arrival of the 2000s; over the decade, he made infrequent television appearances on shows including "ER" (NBC 1994-2009), "Deadwood" (HBO 2004-06), and "Criminal Minds" (CBS 2005-). However, Blocker earned his biggest part yet in 2013, rounding out the ensemble cast of the comedy series "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (Fox 2013-) as inept Det. Michael Hitchcock, partner to the equally incompetent Det. Scully, played by character actor Joel McKinnon Miller.