John Hillerman was born in Denison, Texas, on December 20, 1932. He had a long career in acting which began in 1957 and lasted until he retired from the entertainment industry in 1999. During his career, he was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and four Emmy Awards. He finally won an Emmy in 1987. In the early years of his career, he predominantly worked on stage. IN 1970, he landed a small role in a film called ‘They Call Me Mister Tibbs!’, although this role is uncredited. In 1971, he appeared in the television film ‘Sweet, Sweet Rachel’ playing the role of a medical examiner. He went on to establish a successful career in both film and television. Sadly, Hillerman passed away on November 9, 2017, at the age of 84. As a tribute to this talented actor, here are the top five John Hillerman movie and TV roles.
1. Magnum P.I.
The role for which John Hillerman is best-known is Jonathan Quayle Higgins III in the television series ‘Magnum P.I.’. The lead role in this series was played by Tom Selleck. The series revolved around the work of a private investigator called Thomas Magnum. Hillerman appeared in a total of 158 episodes between 1980 and 1988.
2. Chinatown
In this 1974 neo-noir mystery film, John Hillerman played the role of Russ Yelburton. The movie also starred Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, and John Huston. It was written by Robert Towne and directed by Roman Polanski. The inspiration for this film came from the California Water Wars. On a budget of $6 million, this movie grossed $29.2 million at the worldwide box office.
3. The Hogan Family
John Hillerman played the role of Lloyd Hogan in season six of ‘The Hogan Family’. The show was about the antics of the Logan family and originally aired on NBC. It moved to CBS in 1990 and this is when John Hillerman joined the cast. The series originally starred Valerie Harper as the mother of the family but she was written out of the show after a dispute and replaced by Sandy Duncan as the children’s aunt. Others who starred in this series included Jason Bateman, Danny ponce, Jeremy Licht, and Christine Ebersole.
4. Sunburn
John Hillerman plays the role of Webb in this 1979 comedy film. The movie is based on the book called ‘The Bind by Stanley Ellin and was adapted into a screenplay by James Booth, John Daly, and Stephen Oliver. It was directed by Richard C. Sarafian and starred Farrah Fawcett, Joan Collings, Charles Grodin, Art Carney, and William Daniels. The film is about a private investigator who hires a beautiful woman to pretend to be his wife and accompany him on a murder investigation in Acapulco.
5. The Betty White Show
The Betty White Show was a CBS sitcom that was first aired on September 12, 1977. It ran for fourteen episodes until January 9, 1978. It was about an actress, played by Betty White, who gets the lead in a new police series. She is delighted until she discovers that the director is her ex-husband, who is played by John Hillerman. The series was created by Stan Daniels and Ed Weinberger. It also starred Georgia Engel, Caren Kaye, Charles Cyphers, Alex Henteloff, and Barney Phillips.
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