Kevin Dobson, known for his starring roles on “Kojak” and “Knots Landing,” died Sunday of a heart attack at 77.
His death was confirmed by the United Veterans Council of San Joaquin County on Facebook, which posted a series of images of Dobson along with the message, “Army Veteran, Veterans Rights Activist, Film and Television Actor Kevin Dobson has passed away. He was 77 Years Old. Condolences to the entire family. Rest In Peace…March 18 1943-September 6 2020.”
Fellow actor Paul Carafotes tweeted, “Kevin Dobson a great and generous actor passed. I remember him for his friendship a gracious, open minded actor with ideas to augment a scene and didnt mind if ideas gave it toYOU. We had fun. @Carafotes12 @taiskates @lmvitale @hardy985 @take2radio @KnotsLanding @HowardStern.”
Dobson was born March 18, 1943, in Queens, New York. He served in the U.S. Army and worked for the Long Island Rail Road before pursuing acting.
After debuting on TV on the soap “The Doctors” in 1969, he made an uncredited appearance in the Jane Fonda drama “Klute” (1971). After a couple of years in small roles on TV, he won the role of Det. Bobby Crocker on “Kojak” after numerous auditions, appearing in all 117 episodes (1973-1978) of the classic cop drama opposite Telly Savalas. He returned for the 1990 TV-movie reunion “Kojak: It’s Always Something.”
Dobson specialized in dramatic TV movies, including “The Immigrants” (1978), “Hardhat and Legs” (1980), “Margin for Murder” (1981), and “Sweet Revenge” (1984), the latter with a very young Helen Hunt.
From 1982-1993, Dobson was handsome Mack MacKenzie on “Knots Landing,” one of TV’s most successful nighttime soaps, reprising the role on the 1997 miniseries “Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac.”
He was also a regular on the series “Shannon” (1981-1982), “F/X: The Series” (1996-1997), “The Bold and the Beautiful” (2006-2007), and “Days of Our Lives” (2008), along with making numerous TV guest appearances through 2014. According to IMDb, he was attached to a sci-fi series called “12 to Midnight,” but it is unclear if he shot anything for it.
Dobson is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Susan, and their children Mariah, Patrick and Sean.