Rachins also starred in ‘L.A. Law: The Movie,’ ‘Showgirls,’ ‘Leave it to Beaver’ and ‘Terminal Voyage’
Actor Alan Rachins, best known for starring inL.A. Law and Dharma & Greg, has died. He was 82.
Rachins’ wife, actress Joanna Frank, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, Nov. 2. She told the outlet that Rachins had been experiencing heart failure and died in his sleep early Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Rachins, who was born in Cambridge, Mass., and raised in Boston, later moved to New York City to pursue acting. He studied with such talents as Kim Stanley and Warren Robertson, per THR.
Alan Rachins as Douglas Brackman Jr. in ‘L.A. Law’.
Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank
His most notable role was in the legal drama L.A. Law, which debuted in 1986. He played lawyer Douglas Brackman Jr. for nearly a decade until the series ended in 1994.
The show was a significant one both on and off screen for Rachins, as he met his wife while working on the series. Frank starred as his spouse Sheila Brackman, with whom he had a contentious relationship. In addition, the series was created by Rachins’ late younger brother, the TV writer-producer Steven Bochco.
Rachins was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1988 for his work in L.A. Law. While he did not win either award, the show itself nabbed a total of four Emmys for outstanding drama series in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Alan Rachins as Douglas Brackman Jr. in ‘L.A. Law’.
Eike Schroter/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
After L.A. Law, Rachins went on to tackle comedy, starring in the sitcom Dharma & Greg as Lawrence “Larry” Finkelstein, the hippie father of Jenna Elfman’s character Dharma. He starred in all of the nearly 200 episodes of the show, which aired for five seasons from 1997 to 2002.
During that time, he also appeared in a number of movies including Showgirls, Leave It to Beaver and Terminal Voyage. In the 2000s, Rachins starred in L.A. Law: The Movie before taking smaller roles on several TV series including Rizzoli & Isles, General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy and NCIS — which was one of his last roles before his death.
Actor Alan Rachins attends the 1989 premiere of ‘When Harry Met Sally’ on July 13, 1989 at the Academy Theater in Beverly Hills, California.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Rachins also dabbled in voice acting work, contributing to such projects as Scooby-Doo!, Mecha Mutt Menace, The Spectacular Spider-Man and Rugrats. In addition, he starred in a few theater productions including Oh! Calcutta and Broadway’s After the Rain, per THR.
His last credited role was in the short film The Lights Above in 2023.
Rachins is survived by Frank and his son, Robert.
