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James Sikking, star of 'Hill Street Blues' and 'Doogie Howser, MD,' dies at 90

James Sikking of “Hill Street Blues” has died at 90. His publicist Cynthia Snyder said in a statement Sunday evening that Sikking died of complications from dementia.

“The drill instructor looked like he had steel for hair and his uniform had so much starch in it, you knew it would sit in the corner when he took it off in the barracks,” he told The Fresno Bee in 2014, when he did a series of interviews with various publications marking the box set’s release. The cliffhanger drew comparisons to the “Who shot J.R.?” mystery from “Dallas” not long before — although it was quickly resolved when TV supplements accidentally ran a teaser summary that made it clear Hunter had been saved. Aside from “Hill Street Blues,” Sikking played Captain Styles in 1984’s “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.” He wasn’t enthusiastic about the role, but had been lured by the idea that it would take just a day on set.

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