TV Forum

'Babylon 5' Star Michael O'Hare Dies, 60

Michael O'Hare, who played Cmdr. Jeffrey Sinclair during a single season of "Babylon 5" only to reprise the character a few times in later seasons, has died. He was 60.

J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of "Babylon 5," announced O'Hare's death Friday, adding that he had suffered a heart attack last week, and had been in a coma ever since.

O'Hare was a character actor who appeared in a number of shows in the 1980s and 1990, including "Tales from the Dark Side," "L.A. Law" and "The Equalizer." He first joined the pilot of "Babylon 5" as Cmdr. Jeffrey Sinclair, who came from a long line of fighter pilots and was born on the Mars Colony. However, after the first season of "Babylon 5," Straczynski decided there needed to be a change at the top, and wrote out O'Hare's Sinclair and instead replaced him with Bruce Boxleitner as John Sheridan, who would later become president of the Interstellar Alliance.

O'Hare would return for a handful of appearances in the second and third seasons, his role changed to ambassador.

After "Babylon 5," O'Hare went back to character acting, appearing in episodes of "The Cosby Mysteries" and "Law & Order," but he would essentially retire from screen acting in 2000.

O'Hare is the latest of the "Babylon 5" primary cast to have passed away in recent years. Richard Biggs, who played Dr. Stephen Franklin in the series, died in 2004 at the age of 44. Andreas Katsulas, who played G'Kar in the series as well as a number of roles in other genre shows like "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Alien Nation," died in 2006 at the age of 59.

Jeff Conaway, who played Security Chief Zack Allen, died last year at the age of 60.

Robert Michael O'Hare Jr. was born on May 6, 1952 in Chicago. He studied at both Harvard University and the Julliard School of Drama. He is survived by his wife of 14 years, Ruth O'Hare.

RIP Michael O'Hare... I was a big fan of Babylon 5.

RIP Jeff Conaway... I knew of his passing.

I was unaware of the passing of Richard Biggs & Andreas Katsulas, may the both Rest in Peace.

I remember Jeff Conaway from Taxi

Dallas star Larry Hagman dies

Actor Larry Hagman, who played JR Ewing in the 1980s TV hit Dallas has died at age of 81






The Texan passed away at the Medical City Dallas Hospital at 4.20pm on Friday (9am Saturday AEDT) following complications stemming from his recent battle with throat cancer.


His family said in a statement they had joined him in Dallas for Thanksgiving.
"When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones," the statement said.
"It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for. The family requests privacy at this time."
Hagman had recently resumed the role of the conniving JR as Dallas in a remake earlier this year.

While he was best known for his role as the wealthy Texas oilman, Hagman also starred on I Dream of Jeannie before rocketing to international stardom with Dallas.
He married Swedish-born Maj Axelsson in 1954 and she was by his side when he died.
The couple had two children, Heidi Kristina and Preston.

Sad news indeed, RIP Larry Hagman.

Will be fondly remembered

Sir Patrick Moore, legendary BBC astronomer, dies aged 89He passed away peacefully at his home in West Sussex, a statement from his friends and colleagues said.

thor, he spent over 50 years presenting The Sky at Night missing just 1 show after a bout of food poisoning, quite a remarkable feat.

Jack Klugman, who made an art of gruffness in TV's The Odd Couple and Quincy, ME, has died at the age of 90.






The actor's son Adam says his father died on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles.


In the 1970s sitcom The Odd Couple, Klugman played sloppy sports writer Oscar to co-star Tony Randall's Felix, a fussy photographer.
In Quincy, ME, which aired in the US from 1976 to 1983, Klugman played an idealistic, tough-minded medical examiner.
Klugman lost his voice to throat cancer in the 1980s but trained himself to speak again and split his time between TV, movies and the New York stage.

Sad news for Christmas day, I loved watching Quincy ME back in the day, RIP Jack Klugman.

Tootsie actor Charles Durning dies

Charles Durning, a two-time Oscar nominee dubbed the king of the character actors for his skill in playing everything from a Nazi colonel to the pope, has died Monday at his home in New York City. He was 89.
Durning died on Monday of natural causes in his home in the borough of Manhattan, his longtime agent and friend Judith Moss told The Associated Press.
Although he portrayed everyone from blustery public officials to comic foils to put-upon everymen, Durning may be best remembered by movie audiences for his Oscar-nominated, over-the-top role as a comically corrupt governor in the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Many critics marvelled that such a heavyset man could be so nimble in the film's show-stopping song-and-dance number, not realising that Durning had been a dance instructor early in his career. He had met his first wife, Carol, when both worked at a dance studio.

Two big losses who brought much enjoyment through their professional characters

Actor Richard Briers - known to millions for TV's The Good Life - has died at the age of 79.
The star, who was also famous for his Shakespearean roles, had been battling a serious lung condition for a number of years.
Briers, who starred in shows such as Ever Decreasing Circles and Monarch Of The Glen, recently blamed years of smoking for his emphysema.
His agent said he died "peacefully" at his London home on Sunday.

Thats a shame - brought lots of laughs to so many

He was still popping up in a few films in the last few years...RIP Richard Briers.

Peter Harvey - a Australian news reporter for channel win (4) who died of pancreatic cancer, aged 68

Peter Harvey canberra

R.I.P

Richard LeParmentier, an American-born film and TV actor who spent most of his career working in England, has died at the age of 66. LeParmentier was best remembered for playing Admiral Motti, the Imperial head of Naval operations in Star Wars (1977)

Joyce Brothers