Richard Roat, Actor on 'Seinfeld' and Tons of Other Shows, Dead at 89

By Daniel S. Levine

Longtime character actor Richard Roat died earlier this month. He was 89. Roat racked up over 130 credits in a career that spanned half a century. The actor appeared in some of the most beloved television shows in history, including Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers, Dallas, Happy Days, Murphy Brown, and Hawaii Five-0.

Roat died on Aug. 5 in Orange County, California, according to his obituary published in the Los Angeles Times on Aug. 28. He "passed away suddenly," his family said. Survivors include his wife of over 40 years, Kathy Roat.

"His greatest love was his family, with whom he shared his incredible sense of humor, intelligence, and unmatched zest for life," Roat's obituary reads. "Richard was fortunate to marry the love of his life, his true soulmate, Kathy. They had recently celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary. Their life together was a magical journey of travel, fun, laughter, and love. It was truly 'An Affair to Remember.'"

Roat was born on July 3, 1933, in Hartford, Connecticut. He started his acting career in 1962 when he appeared on Car 54, Where Are You? and Naked City. The actor went on to appear in over 130 shows, rarely ever starring in multiple episodes. Some of his few recurring roles include Professor Henry Moore on Days of Our Lives in 1991, Farnsworth on Hill Street Blues, and Leonard Cooper on the 1989-1990 series Generations. He appeared on The Golden Girls twice but played different roles in each episode. In the first one, his character died after having sex with Betty White's Rose. He also played a publisher in multiple Dynasty episodes.

Roat's Seinfeld appearance came in the Season 8 episode "The Package," in which he played a doctor who considered Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) a "difficult" patient. In 2000, he appeared in the Friends episode "The One Where Ross Dates a Student" as a professor who busts Ross (David Schwimmer) for dating a student. His final appearance came in a 2009 episode of 24. 

Roat appeared in a few films during the 1970s, including Westworld, American Hot Wax, and Corvette Summer. In the 1980s, he became exclusively a TV star. Roat can also be seen in episodes of 7th Heaven, Cybill, The Practice, Ellen, Coach, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Murphy Brown, The Nanny, Melrose Place, Blossom, Grace Under Fire, Living Single, Mad About You, Lois & Clark, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Night Court, Baywatch, Murphy's Law, Simon & Simon, L.A. Law, Matlock, ALF, St. Elsewhere, and Hart to Hart. In 1978, he starred in ABC's TV movie Almost Heaven with a young Jay Leno. Outside of acting, Roat ran a practice as an entertainment tax preparer.

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