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Kevin Dobson, ‘Kojak’ and ‘Knots Landing’ star, dies at 77

Dobson's first major role was as Detective Bobby Crocker on the crime drama show "Kojak."

WASHINGTON — Kevin Dobson, the actor best known for his roles on the shows "Kojak" and "Knots Landing" on CBS, died Sunday. He was 77.

The United Veterans Council of San Joaquin County on Monday announced his death on Facebook. Dobson was a former chairman of the organization.

"The United Veterans Council regrets to inform you that our former Chairman and Army Veteran Kevin Dobson passed away this evening Sunday, September 6th, 2020 due to medical complications," the statement said. "Our condolences to his family and May he Rest In Peace."

He was born in Queens, New York, on March 18, 1943. Dobson was a trainman, brakeman and conductor on the Long Island Railroad and a former Army soldier. For a short period of time, he was a waiter and bartender before he started his acting career in the late 1960s, according to IMDB.

He first played roles in "The Doctor," "Klute," "The Mod Squad," "The Rookies," "Ironside," "Cannon" and "Police Story." His first major role was as Detective Bobby Crocker on the crime drama show "Kojak." The show aired for five seasons.

Credit: Frank Micelotta/Invision/AP
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - AUGUST 22: Actor Kevin Dobson arrives at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 'Performers Peer Group Reception' at the Sheraton Universal Hotel on August 22, 2011 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Invision for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/AP Images)

Dobson joined the cast of the primetime soap opera "Knots Landing" during its fourth season in 1982, according to NBC News. For 11 years he starred as the attorney M. "Mack" Patrick MacKenzie.

Dobson won five Soap Opera Digest Awards, Forbes reported, for his work on "Knots Landing," and later returned in the 1997 miniseries "Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac," and in 2005 for the special "Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again."

He appeared in several other soap operas like "Days of Our Lives"  and "The Bold and the Beautiful." 

Dobson is survived by his wife and their three children.

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