Richard Dysart has died at 86. The veteran actor, who was best known as Leland McKenzie on the NBC '80s courtroom drama L.A. Law, passed away at his Santa Monica, Calif., home on Sunday, April 5.
Dysart's daughter-in-law Jeannine Jacobi told the Associated Press that the star died after a long illness, but did not give further detail.
Born in Boston and raised in Maine, he served in the U.S. Air Force and graduated from Emerson College with a speech communications master's degree before breaking out in Hollywood in the early '60s. He made his film debut in 1968's Petulia, and also appeared in The Day of the Locust (1975), The Hindenburg (1975), Mask (1985), and Hard Rain (1998).
Also a familiar face on the small screen, some of the Emmy winner's TV credits include Batman: The Animated Series (1992 to 1994), My Secret Summer (1995), and Spawn (1997 to 1999). He often appeared in TV movies, too. In his last project, he reprised his role as McKenzie in the TV movie L.A. Law: The Movie in 2002. The actor was nominated four times for an Emmy before taking one home in 1992 for L.A. Law.
Dysart is survived by his wife Kathryn, Jeanninne, his stepson Arie, mother-in-law Lenore, sister-in-law Nadine, and grandchildren Abby and Levi.
