Alan Rachins, L.A. Law And Dharma & Greg star, dead at 82

Alan Rachins, best known for his roles in L.A. Law and Dharma & Greg, has passed away, his heartbroken family has revealed.

L.A. Law and Dharma & Greg star Alan Rachins died on Saturday. He was 82.

Mark Teitelbaum, Rachins’ manager, shared a statement from Rachins’ family with Decider, which noted that the actor “died peacefully in his sleep this past weekend, due to heart failure”.

Per their statement, “the family thanks everyone for this outpouring of affection” and “they will plan a celebration of life in the next few months.”

Actor Alan Rachins died peacefully in his sleep on November 2. Picture: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

His family announced the sad news, revealing Rachins died due to heart failure. Picture: Alamy

Rachins was born October 3, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, per The New York Times.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Rachins began his acting career on stage, appearing in both Broadway and off-Broadway productions.

Rachins’ on-screen career dates back to the 1970s, though his two most iconic roles arrived in the form of lawyer Douglas Brackman Jr. on L.A. Law (1986-1994) and father Larry Finkelstein on Dharma & Greg (1997-2002).

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Rachins’ wife Joanna Frank’s brother, Steven Bochco, was one of L.A. Law‘s co-creators. Bochco passed away in 2018, per Deadline.

Rachins (right) was known for his role in the ‘90s sitcom Dharma & Greg. Picture: Alamy

Over the course of his decades-long career, Rachins also worked on numerous other TV titles, including Dallas, The Golden Girls, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Rizzoli & Isles, General Hospital and Young Sheldon.

Some of Rachins’ most notable film credits include Always (1985), Showgirls (1995), Leave It To Beaver (1997), and Angels on Tap (2018).

According to IMDb, Rachins earned his most recent film credit in The Lights Above, a 2023 short directed by Luke J. Salewski.

Rachins is survived by his wife and actress Joanna Frank and their son Robert.

This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Alan Rachins, L.A. Law And Dharma & Greg star, dead at 82