Doug Sheehan, the Emmy-nominated television actor celebrated for his roles in various soaps and sitcoms, passed away last month at his home in Big Horn, Wyoming. He was 75 years old.
Sheehan’s death was announced by a local funeral home on its website last Thursday, noting that he “passed away peacefully” with his wife at his side. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Born in California in 1949, Sheehan made his television debut in a 1978 episode of Charlie’s Angels. The following year, he secured his first regular role as lawyer Joe Kelly on ABC’s General Hospital. Sheehan appeared in 205 episodes of the beloved soap opera, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for supporting actor.
“I was on during the ‘Camelot’ era when Luke and Laura were running around saving the world madly, and I was sort of the nice guy who stood on the sidelines and said, ‘Go Luke, go!’” Sheehan recalled in a 1989 interview.
In 1983, Sheehan transitioned to CBS, landing a significant role on the Dallas spinoff Knots Landing. He played Ben Gibson, a freelance reporter and former C.I.A. operative who becomes protagonist Valene Ewing’s second husband. The character was written off the show in season eight, disappearing mysteriously to South America.
Sheehan’s acting credits include appearances on popular shows like Cheers, MacGyver, and Columbo. He also starred in the short-lived NBC series Day by Day as a stockbroker-turned-daycare operator, alongside pre-Seinfeld Julia Louis-Dreyfus and a young Thora Birch.
In the 1990s, Sheehan embraced “TV dad” roles, portraying the fathers of Cher Horowitz in Clueless and Sabrina Spellman in Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Although primarily a television actor, Sheehan also appeared in films such as 10, Victor/Victoria, and Cops N Roberts. An avid polo player, he enjoyed this sport in his spare time.
He is survived by his wife, Cate, with whom he had been married for over 40 years at the time of his passing.