Bernie Hamilton | 'Starsky' actor, 80

Bernie Hamilton, 80, an actor best known for playing the no-nonsense police captain on the 1970s TV series

Starsky and Hutch

, died of cardiac arrest Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Mr. Hamilton, the brother of jazz drummer Chico Hamilton, appeared in more than two dozen films, beginning with a role as a baseball player in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). His other movies included The Young One, Synanon, The Swimmer, and Scream Blacula Scream.

In 1964, he gained notice playing opposite Barbara Barrie in One Potato, Two Potato, a love story about a white divorcee who loses legal custody of her young daughter after marrying a black coworker at a factory.

He had guest shots on numerous TV series before becoming a regular on Starsky and Hutch, the 1975-79 ABC police drama. The series, on which he played the by-the-book Capt. Harold Dobey, gave Mr. Hamilton wide recognition, his son Raoul said.

He phased out of acting after Starsky and Hutch and spent the next 20 years in the music business producing R&B and gospel records.
- Los Angeles Times