Kevin Dobson, an actor best known for his starring roles on the CBS shows "Kojak" and "Knots Landing," died Sunday. He was 77.
The United Veterans Council of San Joaquin County announced Dobson's death on Monday afternoon. He served as a former chairman of the organization.
A former Army soldier and Long Island Rail Road conductor, Dobson began his acting career in the late 1960s, first appearing on shows like "One Life to Live," "The Doctors," "The Mod Squad," "Emergency!" and "Cannon." His first major role came on "Kojak," where he played detective Bobby Crocker, opposite star Telly Savalas' lead role as lieutenant Theo Kojak. The show aired for five season on CBS from 1973 to 1978, and Dobson reunited with the cast for the 1990 TV movie "Kojak: It's Always Something."
Dobson joined the cast of the primetime soap opera "Knots Landing" during its fourth season in 1982. He played Marion Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie, the love interest and eventual husband of star Michele Lee's character Karen MacKenzie. He was a main cast member of the series until its cancellation in 1993 after 14 seasons. He and the cast reunited for a miniseries called "Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-De-Sac" in 1997. For his role, he earned five Soap Opera Digest Awards throughout his career.
He appeared on several other soap operas, like "The Bold and the Beautiful" as Judge Devin Owens in 2006-2007 and "Days of Our Lives" as Mickey Horton in 2008. His other credits included "House of Lies," "Hawaii Five-0" and "Anger Management."
Dobson is survived by his wife, Susan, and their three children.