Kevin Dobson
Birth : 1943-03-18, New York City, New York, USA
Death : 2020-09-06
History
Kevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Detective Bobby Crocker, the trusted protege of Lt. Theo Kojak (played by Telly Savalas) in the CBS crime drama Kojak, and as M. Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie in the soap opera Knots Landing.
After a brief appearance in the 1971 film Klute, and small acting roles on TV series such as The Mod Squad, Emergency! and Cannon, Dobson signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1972. This led to his role of Det. Bobby Crocker, Lt. Theo Kojak's young partner, in the TV series Kojak, opposite Telly Savalas. For the role, he had to borrow a suit. He had twice auditioned and failed, then called his agent, telling him, "'Do what you have to do,' so he called in a favor and I read for them [again]. I was a military policeman in the Army, so I knew how to hold a gun and throw somebody against a wall. I got a call [the next night] asking if I'd sign a contract." Dobson auditioned for a third time and finally won. He remained with Kojak for its entire five-season run from 1973 to 1978, and later reunited with Savalas for the 1990 TV movie, Kojak: It's Always Something, his character having become an assistant district attorney. They remained friends until Savalas' death from bladder cancer in 1994.
In 1978, Dobson played Pete Lomas in the two-part TV movie The Immigrants, based on the novel by Howard Fast.
In 1981, Dobson starred as Det. Jack Shannon, a San Francisco police officer who is a single father, in the CBS series Shannon. However, the show failed to gain substantial ratings and was canceled after nine episodes. A more successful TV role for Dobson followed in 1982: M. Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie in the soap opera Knots Landing, opposite Michele Lee. He joined the show at the beginning of its fourth season in September 1982 and remained in the role until its cancellation in 1993. Dobson won five Soap Opera Digest Awards for his work on the series. He later reunited with his Knots Landing co-stars for a miniseries, Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac in 1997, and again in the 2005 non-fiction special Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.
Dobson has also appeared in a number of feature films, most notably the World War II movie, Midway, alongside Henry Fonda and Charlton Heston, as Ensign George Gay — a pilot and the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron Eight from the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet's ill-fated opening attack against the Japanese fleet on June 4, 1942. Another prominent role was as the husband of Barbra Streisand in the 1981 romantic comedy All Night Long. He also had a small role as a priest in the well-received 2007 psychological horror film 1408.
Dobson continued to appear in a number of TV roles, including the syndicated F/X: The Series for one season, the drama series The Bold and the Beautiful, and as the fourth actor to play Mickey Horton on Days of Our Lives.
Glenn Hunter
With their father killed by a swarm of vampiric sea creatures, Bering Sea adventurers, Joe and Donna, team up with a marine biologist and her devoted deckhand to render the species extinct.
Mayor Stan Wood
When the mayor of a crime-ridden city and his opponent are both assassinated while seeking election, two FBI agents, John Archer and Mila Driver, reluctantly join forces to investigate the murder only to discover that City Hall holds more secrets than the identity of the killer.
Benedict
Soon after finding their way into the shelter of the mysterious, fog-engulfed town of Mercy, two friends plan to rest up for the night, only to realize, as nights turn into nights, that time doesn't exist in this town.
Cop
While stranded at a diner on Christmas Eve, Rose finds personal redemption in protecting a young baby from an abusive father on her way to reconciling with the child she had to give up for adoption in her youth.
Priest
A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.
Henderson Davis
When a hostage situation arises on-board a private plane with the daughter of a billionaire on-board. Major John Masters (Sabato Jr.) teams up with Captain Williams (Michael Paré) to stop the terrorist and land the plane.
Donald Shawnessy
A drama and thriller story of a young woman who has suffered great abuse as a girl and who finds happiness when in a car accident, by mistake, she finds refuge in a false personality. She allows a pair of grieving parents to believe she is their late son's wife. But happiness is not so easy, since the past always comes out and Catherine will have to act to protect the family who has given so much affection.
Police Captain
Robert Woodfield is a criminal defense attorney, and he has defended a lot of criminals, many of whom are guilty, but has maintained that everyone deserves a competent defense, which he provides whether they are guilty or not. Currently he is defending Martin Ritter, a killer, whom he gets off. Later he has dinner with a friend, and his friend tells him that he needs to talk to him about something important. He is about to leave when some masked men go to his friend and kill him, when one of the men takes off his mask; it's Martin Ritter. Now being his lawyer, Robert can't say anything about what he saw. But that doesn't stop him from investigating what his dead friend was so worried about. It seems that he has stumbled onto something big, and instead of killing him they frame his wife for murder to get him to back off. But he doesn't and both his wife and him are now in danger. And still has no idea what's going on. Will he find out before they get to him?
Dr. Joel Blair
Timmy Blair has the usual twelve-year-old's share of problems: his father is too busy at work, his new stepmother loads him with chores, and school life is as difficult as ever. When a furry friend follows him home from school, Timmy is delighted. There's only one problem. His new-found buddy is a 500 pound gorilla
Lt. Jim Ransom
A homicide detective finds himself in an uneasy triangle with his fiancée and a female partner.
Detective Joe Sraccula
A segment from the 'Unsolved Mysteries' TV series inspired this story, in which a nurse (Megan Ward) claims that she's possessed by a murdered co-worker's spirit which identifies the killer.
Jack Liner
A young wife and mother is abused by her husband and keeps the secret from her friends and family.
Chuck Hayes
An abused woman escapes from prison, is recaptured, and sent back then tries to get her sentence reduced. Based on a true story.
Jack Evans
A newswoman is consumed by suspicions and guilt over her rocky marriage.
Tommy Miller
A bail bondsman deals drugs on the side and thinks he's struck it rich when he conceives a scheme to steal counterfeit money. When the mob comes calling for it, he tries to set up a fellow employee as the culprit.
Hank Bolen
The friendships held between two families is threatened when one of their sons drowns in the other family's swimming pool.
Assistant D.A. Bobby Crocker
After discovering the connection between a corrupt city commissioner and Colombian killers, Kojak is framed for the murder of a call girl and is prosecuted by former police detective Crocker, now an assistant D.A.
Peter Finley
Peter Finley is a cable-TV newsman who is led into a network of sin and conspiracy when he has interest in a missing anchorwoman's story.
Col. Joseph Cheever
While a major in the U.S. Army, Joe Cheever has a fling with his commanding officer's daughter that results in a pregnancy. Cheever convinces the girl to have an illegal abortion. The abortion goes wrong and the girl dies. To protect his career, Cheever implicates Captain Dennison whose life is thereby ruined. Years later, the Captain's now grown-up sister Katherine marries Army Major Alex Breen, and is stunned to learn his commanding officer is the now Colonel Cheever. She becomes obsessed with getting revenge for the sake of her dead brother.
Mike Hammer
Mickey Spillane's hard-hitting '50s private eye, Mike Hammer, returns to television in the guise of Kevin Dobson to track down the killer of his best friend who was driving Hammer's car. Joining in the hunt are the detective's Girl Friday, the ever-hopeful Velda, and his cop friend, Pat Chambers.
Bobby Gibbons
Executive George Dupler loses his temper and is demoted to the night manager at a 24 hour drugstore. After he suggests to his teenage son Freddie that he stop having an affair with suburban housewife Cheryl Gibbons, who is a distant cousin, Cheryl tries to seduce George. At home, in front of his mother, Freddie accuses his dad of stealing his girl, because he found Cheryl serving George a meal in the middle of the night, while her husband Bobby was on duty at the fire station. George then separates from his wife Helen, quits his job, moves into a warehouse, and asks Cheryl to move in with him.
Hal Painter
A distraught widower is caught in a bitter custody battle with his late wife's parents over his 10-year-old son, following his plans to remarry and move off to California with the boy.
Don Hollander
A married man, returning to his small town for a high school reunion, finds himself torn between his long-ago high school girlfriend and her 17-year-old daughter, whose boyfriend is the star player on the school's basketball team his fellow alumni are playing.
Sal Pacheco
A sex education teacher falls for a construction worker with a gambling problem.
John Hurley
Fact-based story about a hard-driving young executive who rebels against his failing heart and undergoes a risky transplant.
Pete Lomas
A young Italian immigrant who loses everything in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake starts over again and builds up a shipping empire, but doesn't find the happiness he thought would come with wealth until he takes up with a young Chinese girl.
Ensign George Gay
This war drama depicts the U.S. and Japanese forces in the naval Battle of Midway, which became a turning point for Americans during World War II.
Man at Bar (uncredited)
A high-priced call girl is forced to depend on a reluctant private eye when she is stalked by a psychopath.
Michael Bradley
A man begins suspecting that his best friend may be involved in an international crime ring.
