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Alan Rachins, ‘L.A. Law’ and ‘Dharma & Greg’ Actor, Dies at 82

Alan Rachins, an actor known for his work on the series “L.A. Law” and “Dharma & Greg,” died early Saturday morning. He was 82.

Rachins died in his sleep of heart failure, his manager Mark Teitelbaum confirmed to Variety.

Rachins played lawyer Douglas Brackman Jr. on NBC’s “L.A. Law” for its entire eight-season run from 1986 to 1984, as well as in the 2002 made-for-TV film, “L.A. Law: The Movie.” He received nominations for a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe in 1988 for his performance as Douglas.

“In the pilot episode, there was nothing of the more flamboyant or bizarre side of Douglas; he was going to be the hard-line office manager, the penny pincher,” Rachins said in a 1990 interview with The New York Times. “It was kind of limited, and I didn’t know where it was going. But quickly it developed a lot more color and flamboyance.”

After “L.A. Law,” Rachins portrayed Larry Finkelstein, the hippie father of Jenna Elfman’s Dharma, on the ABC sitcom “Dharma & Greg,” which ran for five seasons from 1997 to 2002.

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Alan Leonard Rachins was born on Oct. 3, 1942, in Cambridge, Mass., and raised in Boston. After spending two years at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to New York to pursue acting and, in 1967, he made his Broadway debut in the play “After the Rain.”

Rachins also appeared in the nude in the theatrical revue “Oh! Calcutta!,” which opened off-Broadway at the Eden Theatre in June 1969.

Rachins had recurring roles on “Rizzoli & Isles” and “General Hospital,” and he guested on several series, including “Stargate SG-1,” “Dallas,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Brothers,” “D.C. Follies,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Outer Limits,” “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “Good Luck Charlie,” “Young Sheldon,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Middle” and “The Crazy Ones.” He wrote for such shows as “Hill Street Blues,” “Hart to Hart” and “The Fall Guy” and directed an episode of the James Earl Jones-led series “Paris.”

Rachins portrayed Tony Moss in the 1995 film “Showgirls.” His other film credits include “Time Walker” (1982), “Always” (1985), “Thunder Run” (1985), “Heart Condition” (1990), “Terminal Voyage” (1995), “Meet Wally Sparks” (1997), “Leave It to Beaver” (1997), “Any Day Now” (2012) and “Commencement” (2012).

Rachins is survived by wife Joanna Frank, who played his feuding spouse Sheila Brackman on “L.A. Law,” and son Robert.