‘L.A. Law’ and ‘Dharma & Greg’ Star Dies: Alan Rachins Was 82

Alan Rachins, best known for his role as Douglas Brackman, Jr. on NBC’s L.A. Law, has passed away at age 82, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Emmy-nominated actor died in his sleep from heart failure on Nov. 2 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his wife, actress Joanna Frank, told the outlet. The two met in an acting class and tied the knot in 1978, later working together on L.A. Law and the 1985 film Always.

Born on Oct. 3, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rachins was raised in Boston and went to the Wharton School at Penn for two years before moving to New York to try his hand at acting. After studying with Warren Roberston and Kim Stanley, he made his Broadway debut in 1967 in After the Rain. In 1969, Rachins did the musical revue Oh! Calcutta for 18 months at the Eden Theater, sans clothes. In 1972, the late actor shifted his focus to writing and directing, and was accepted into programs for both at AFI in Los Angeles. He later wrote for shows such as Hill Street Blues, Hart to Hart, and The Fall Guy and even directed an episode of Paris.

Rachins soon got back into acting. In 1986, he portrayed law partner Douglas Brackman, Jr. on all eight seasons of L.A. Law, from 1986 to 1994. He returned to the role in 2002 for television film L.A. Law: The Movie. In 1997, Rachins played Larry Finkelstein on all five seasons of the sitcom Dharma & Greg, which ended in 2002. Other credits throughout his career include Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Batman: The Animated Series, Lady Boss, Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer, Mom, The Middle, General Hospital, and Young Sheldon. Rachins’ final TV role was an episode of NCIS in 2023, but he also appeared in the short The Lights Above.

Alan Rachins’ late brother-in-law, legendary TV writer-producer Steven Bochco, actually had him in mind for the part of Brackman on L.A. Law when he was putting together a list of the cast of attorneys for the NBC legal drama. In 1988, he even received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. In total, while Rachins starred in all eight seasons of the series, he wound up appearing in 171 episodes, one short of appearing in them all.

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