Battlestar Galactica Actors You May Not Know Passed Away
An epic sci-fi space opera that mixed elements of "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" with the contemporary theories of so-called ancient astronauts, "Battlestar Galactica" was unlike anything audiences had seen on the small screen. Set in the furthest reaches of space, it chronicled a great war between humans from another world and the robotic Cylons. Debuting in 1978, it only ran for two seasons (followed by the lackluster spinoff "Galactica: 1980") and became a cult classic.
In 2003, "Battlestar Galactica" was remade as a TV miniseries before becoming a full series that ran for four seasons. From the original to the reboot, the franchise has featured many talented actors, and in the years since the franchise debuted, we've sadly lost quite a few of the stars who brought the series to life. Now, we pay tribute to the "Battlestar Galactica" actors who've passed on to the great beyond and bring to attention those who you may not have known left us all too soon.
Lorne Greene
Already a major TV star, having previously starred in the long-running Western "Bonanza," Lorne Greene added gravitas to "Battlestar Galactica." Switching genres, Greene played Admiral Adama in the sci-fi epic. Despite trading in a six-shooter for a laser blaster, his character was a headstrong pioneer who wasn't all that different than Ben Cartwright. A steely-eyed leader who commanded respect the instant he walked into a room, Greene was the guiding light of "Battlestar Galactica."
Greene returned for the short-lived sequel series "Galactica 1980" before moving on to the firehouse drama "Code Red." That would be his last leading role, though, as his health declined. He showed up in episodes of "The Love Boat," "Highway to Heaven," and the TV movie "The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory" but was mostly retired when he died on September 11, 1987, at the age of 72, following complications from surgery that led to a bout with pneumonia. Lorne Greene remains a TV icon and is revered in sci-fi circles for helping make "Battlestar Galactica" a cult hit.
Lloyd Bridges
Audiences today may know Lloyd Bridges as the father of Jeff Bridges, star of "The Big Lebowski." However, in his day, Lloyd Bridges was a huge star himself, appearing in hits like "Sahara," "A Walk in the Sun," and "High Noon." A prolific actor, he starred in more movies than we can count. By the 1970s, he was one of Hollywood's most accomplished veteran stars.
In 1978, Bridges joined "Battlestar Galactica" as Commander Cain of the Battlestar Pegasus in the two-parter "The Living Legend." Following that role, Bridges moved to comedies, starring in the classic spoof "Airplane!" and its sequel, as well as "Hot Shots!" and "Hot Shots! Part Deux." Later, Bridges had a recurring role as Izzy Mandelbaum on "Seinfeld."
Bridges died of natural causes in 1998 at the age of 85, but that wouldn't be the last we'd see of him. Two final film performances in the parody film "Jane Austen's Mafia!" and "Meeting Daddy" were released after his death. Most interestingly, his last-released on-screen appearance was in a previously unaired episode of "Ned & Stacey" filmed in 1996, which debuted on DVD in 2017.
Donnelly Rhodes
In 2003, former "Star Trek" producer Ronald D. Moore set out to revive "Battlestar Galactica" for a new generation. Darker, grittier, and more intense, the series borrowed quite a few ideas from Moore's previous "Trek" stories. Moore decided to bring in a grumpy old Chief Medical Officer in the mold of Dr. McCoy. To fill the role, Moore cast Donnelly Rhodes as Dr. Sherman Cottle, a gruff, cigarette-smoking old sawbones who isn't always popular with the crew.
Rhodes had built his career in the '70s and '80s, with a leading role in the 1981 comedy "Soap" and guest-starring roles in everything from "Cheers" and "Magnum P.I." to "The X-Files" and "The Golden Girls." He appeared in 36 episodes of "Battlestar Galactica," followed by roles in "Supernatural" and "Psych." He also made his presence felt in the DC Comics TV pantheon, turning up in episodes of "Smallville" and "Human Target" and later as Agent Smith, his final TV role, in episodes of "The Flash" and "Legends of Tomorrow." Rhodes, 80, died of cancer in 2018.
Richard Hatch
At the heart of the original "Battlestar Galactica" was a pair of hotshot pilots, Apollo and Starbuck, played by Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict. For Hatch, a former soap opera actor, it was his first time as a series regular on a prime-time drama, and he didn't waste the opportunity. With an effortless charm and suave good looks, Hatch made Apollo a fan favorite, but neither he nor Benedict returned for "Galactica 1980." Instead, he went back to soaps and guest starred in shows such as "MacGyver," "The Love Boat," and "T.J. Hooker."
By the '90s, Hatch's career had mostly dried up, but he recaptured his past success in 2003 when he was cast in the reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." This time, though, he wasn't playing a heroic pilot but a quasi-villain named Tom Zarek. A formerly incarcerated criminal, Zarek becomes a freedom fighter and, eventually, a close ally of heroes in their fight against the Cylons. He stuck to low-budget indie movies after his role in the reboot ended in 2009 and died in 2017 after suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Lorena Gale
Despite its gritty realism, the 2003 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica" had a surprising amount of spirituality and religion at its core. Early in its run, the series introduced a Colonial priestess named Elosha. Played by Lorena Gale, Elosha's faith wavers in the aftermath of the Cylon attack, only to be reinvigorated when she learns that President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) has been having visions consistent with ancient texts.
Prior to "Battlestar Galactica," Gale, like many of the show's stars, was a working actress who had appeared all over the dial on hits like "21 Jump Street," "The Commish" and "Highlander" and played three different roles on "The X-Files." She also appeared in a few unmemorable movie sequels like "Ernest Goes to School," "Halloween Resurrection," and "The Fly II." She also had a career as a voice actor, with roles on the Saturday morning cartoon "Camp Candy" and "RoboCop: Alpha Commando."
Towards the end of her career, Gale had a recurring role on "Smallville" as Dr. Foster and showed up on "Battlestar Galactica" producer David Eik's remake of "Bionic Woman." Gale died of cancer in 2009.
Dean Stockwell
Sci-fi fans recognize Dean Stockwell for his role as the holographic assistant Al in "Quantum Leap." He held the role for four seasons, yet it was far from his first memorable TV part. Believe it or not, Stockwell also starred in a classic episode of "The Twilight Zone" back in 1961 and had a recurring role on "Dr. Kildare" in 1965.
In the 1980s, Stockwell appeared in "Married to the Mob," "Blue Velvet, and "Beverly Hills Cop II," while also making his presence known in episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" and "Miami Vice." He even returned in the '80s revival of "The Twilight Zone." In the 1990s, he showed up on "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" and starred in the TV miniseries "The Langoliers." In 2002, he reunited with his "Quantum Leap" co-star Scott Bakula for an episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" just before landing a recurring role on "JAG."
In 2006, Stockwell took the role of John Cavil, the leader of the humanoid Cyclons in "Battlestar Galactica." It would be his last major role on television before his death in 2021 at the age of 85.
Richard Lynch
Richard Lynch has the distinction of playing not one but two characters on "Battlestar Galactica." In the 1978 series, he played Wolfe in the episode "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero" before taking the role of the villainous Commander Xaviar in "Galactica 1980." Outside of "Battle Star Galactica," Lynch appeared in just about every major action show of the '70s, from "Starsky & Hutch" to "Charlie's Angels" and the original "Bionic Woman." He later had a recurring role in the short-lived series "The Phoenix."
During the 1980s, Lynch built a career appearing in a host of schlock action movies like "The Sword and the Sorcerer," "Invasion U.S.A.," and "Savage Dawn," all while continuing to show up on the biggest (and smallest) TV shows of the era. From "Manimal" to "Automan," from "Airwolf" to "The A-Team," it was hard to turn the dial and not see Lynch, and he didn't let up into the '90s. In that decade, he made guest appearances on hits like "Jake and The Fatman" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." His career continued unabated into the 2000s, with a small role in Rob Zombie's "Halloween." He died of a heart attack in 2012, aged 72.
George Murdock
Veteran character actor George Murdock had a three-episode stint on the original "Battlestar Galactica," playing Colonial scientist Dr. Salik. Murdock was no stranger to television, with a career that saw him appearing on nearly every major show of the 1960s and '70s. And after "Battlestar Galactica," he didn't let up.
"Star Trek" fans will recognize him for a pair of roles, most notably as God in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," but also as Admiral Hansen in the iconic two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds." Beyond one-off guest-starring roles, Murdock had multiple-episode runs and recurring roles in "Night Court" and "The X-Files," and played Judge Bertram in a trio of episodes of "Law & Order." Famously, he played the cantankerous Russian writer Testikov in the "Seinfeld" episode "The Marine Biologist."
After a lengthy and prodigious career spanning nearly six decades, Murdock died of cancer while undergoing treatment at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center on April 30, 2012. He was 81.
John Colicos
By the late 1970s, John Colicos was already a sci-fi legend, playing the Klingon Kor in the original "Star Trek" episode "Errand of Mercy." He also appeared in episodes of the original "Mission: Impossible" and played six different characters across seven episodes of "Mannix."
On "Battlestar Galactica," Colicos played Baltar, the human traitor who allies himself with the Cylons. He'd appear in every episode of the series. In the years after "Battlestar Galactica," Colicos struggled to find roles that matched the prominence of Baltar. However, he did have some notable parts. Children of the '90s will recognize him as the voice of Apocalypse on "X-Men: The Animated Series," for example.
In 1994, he reprised his role as Kor in a "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode that also brought back fellow Klingon actors William Campbell and Michael Ansara. Kor was the only one to survive, and he returned for two more episodes, the final of which aired in 1998. John Colicos died just two years later at the age of 71.
Brock Peters
Like John Colicos, actor Brock Peters is also more famous for his roles in "Star Trek." He played Admiral Cartwright in a pair of "Trek" films before playing Joseph Sisko, the father of Captain Sisko on "Deep Space Nine." Unlike Colicos, Peters' "Star Trek" roles came after his time on "Battlestar Galactica," where he played Chief Opposer Solon in the episode "Murder on the Rising Star."
Of course, none of these roles are why Peters is a Hollywood legend. Decades before he appeared on either "Star Trek" or "Battlestar Galactica," Peters won acclaim for his role as Tom Robinson in the Academy Award-winning drama "To Kill a Mockingbird." Peters also starred in the Charleton Heston sci-fi thriller "Soylent Green" and was the voice of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" radio dramas in the 1980s. He also did plenty of voicework in children's animation, from "Swat Kats" to "The Pirates of Dark Waters," while also being the first actor to play Luscious Fox in eight episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series."
Peters' final role was in a 2005 episode of "JAG," which aired just months before his death in August of that year when he succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 78.
Tony Swartz
"Battlestar Galactica" had its share of important supporting characters, most famously, Colonial soldiers like Jolly, played by Tony Swartz. A jovial space pilot, Jolly played a prominent supporting role in several episodes as a close friend of characters like Boomer (Herb Jefferson, Jr.) and Apollo (Richard Hatch). For Swartz, it was the biggest role of his career, which was only a few years old at the time of his casting. Previously, he'd turned up in episodes of "Kojak" and "Serpico."
After his time as Jolly, Swartz's career sadly took a bit of a hit. Throughout the 1980s, he struggled to find consistent work, making only seven on-screen appearances that decade. However, he began working behind the scenes as a location manager and production assistant. He died in 2016 at 73, survived by his wife Helen. Despite having few roles, Tony Swartz will never be forgotten by sci-fi fans as the lovable, mustached Jolly.
Jeff MacKay
The crew of the Galactica needed more than pilots. Jeff MacKay played crewman Komma, a computer technician and firefighter in the Colonial Fleet. Good-natured and somewhat naive, Komma wasn't fond of voice-activated computers, preferring old-school keyboards. Unlike other "Battlestar Galactica" actors, MacKay can count his part on the show as one of the smaller roles in his career.
Before joining the sci-fi series, MacKay played Lt. Donald French on the World War II drama series "Black Sheep Squadron," starring Robert Conrad. He was also a semi-regular on "The Krofft Supershow," where he played Gordie Masterson on the recurring segment "Dr. Shrinker," a pastiche of old sci-fi serials.
After "Battlestar Galactica," MacKay continued having success, starring as Corky in the single-season series "Tales of the Monkey Gold" in 1982 and later showing up in nearly two dozen episodes of "Magnum P.I." in a variety of roles. He was also the voice of Fireflight in the original "Transformers" cartoon. Beginning in 1998, MacKay had a recurring role as Big Bud Roberts on "JAG," one of his last before his death in 2008 from liver failure. He was just 59.
John Dullaghan
Aboard the Galactica, Dr. Wilker was the ship's expert in robotics, communications, and computers. He was responsible for the construction of Muffit II, the robotic daggit ("Battlestar Galactica's" version of a dog) that became best friends with Apollo's adopted son, Boxey (Noah Hathaway). Essentially the ship's expert engineer, he's featured in a handful of episodes, helping out where needed and often investigating confounding situations involving weapons and communications. He was played by actor John Dullaghan.
Dullughan actually started his career in erotic films, including "Kama Sutra '71" and "Sex and the Single Vampire." He moved beyond such movies after a few years, getting more serious work, beginning with a few episodes of "Gunsmoke," "Kojak," and "The Rockford Files" before he was cast in "Battlestar Galactica" in 1978. After playing Wilker, he had a recurring role in "B.J. and the Bear" in 1981 and appeared in 10 episodes of the hit cop comedy "Barney Miller." However, Dullaghan didn't do much after a handful of episodes of "Night Court" in the mid-'80s. After a small role in an episode of "The King of Queens" in 2006, Dullaghan all but retired. He died of lung cancer in 2009 at the age of 78.
Lance LeGault
Lance LeGault appeared in three episodes of "Battlestar Galactica," two of which as Maga, a warrior with big bushy eyebrows and a fierce beard. If Maga reminds you of a Klingon, then you may find it ironic that LeGault later appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as a Klingon captain named K'Temoc. He may be better known, though, for his starring role in the 1987 horror series "Werewolf" as Alamo Joe Rogan alongside John J. York, Ethan Phillips, and Chuck Connors.
After beginning his career as a stuntman (he once doubled for Elvis Presley in the film "Viva Las Vegas"), LeGault progressed into more prominent roles, including that of Captain Buck Greene in "MacGyver" (played in the 2016 reboot by actor James Remar), and Colonel Decker in "The A-Team." He also showed up as several characters in "Airwolf" and had a short run on "Dallas" in the late '80s. LeGault also had a brief stint as a superhero supporting actor, with roles in "Wonder Woman," "The Incredible Hulk," and the 1979 TV movie "Captain America." He died in 2012 at 77.
Jeremy Brett
In the short-lived sequel series "Galactica 1980," the episode "Spaceball" features Jeremy Brett in a dual role. He played Colonial pilot Lieutenant Nash and the second face of Commander Xaviar, who stole Nash's appearance as part of a plot to kidnap the fleet's children. A British character actor, Brett wasn't much of a name in the U.S., having starred in his native England in the 1979 BBC series "Rebecca" among other television roles.
Following "Galactica," Brett became a major star when he took on the titular role in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" in 1984. A series of faithful adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, the series established Brett as the quintessential Sherlock Holmes for a generation, and many still count him as the best to ever play the role. Tragically, Brett's health declined towards the end of his decade-long tenure as Holmes, and in 1995 — just a year after his final episode as the great detective — he died of heart failure. He was just 61.