Donnelly Rhodes

Donnelly Rhodes
Born
Donnelly Rhodes Henry

(1937-12-04)December 4, 1937
DiedJanuary 8, 2018(2018-01-08) (aged 80)
OccupationActor
Years active1956–2017
Spouses
(m. 1962; div. 1965)
Virginia Haxall Harrison
(m. 1966; div. 1970)
(m. 1975; div. 1977)
Diane Dewey
(m. 1978, divorced)
Sarah Wilson
(m. 2011)
Children2

Donnelly Rhodes Henry (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018)[1][2] was a Canadian actor. He had many American television and film credits, probably best known to American audiences as the hapless escaped convict Dutch Leitner on the soap opera spoof Soap and as Phillip Chancellor II on The Young and the Restless. Rhodes was well-known to Canadian audiences as Sgt. Nick Raitt in the CBC TV series Sidestreet (1975–1978), as Grant "Doc" Roberts in another CBC TV series, Danger Bay (1984–1990) and as Leo on Da Vinci's Inquest (1998-2005). He also starred as Doctor Cottle ("Doc") on Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009). He is the brother of actor, Tim Henry.

Life and career[edit]

Rhodes was born in 1937, although some sources say 1936,[3] and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada.

A large portion of Rhodes' career consists of guest-starring roles in American television. He appeared twice on Laredo: in 1965, he played Bob Jamison in "Rendezvous at Arillo" and played a lead role in "The Trap", an episode on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The next year, Rhodes was cast in "The Would-Be Gentleman of Laredo" as Don Carlos.

In 1966, Rhodes appeared as Red Eagle in the episode "Pariah" of the Universal Television series The Road West. The same year, he guest-starred on Dundee and the Culhane. He appeared in three episodes of the original Mission: Impossible (1966-1973 TV series), in the Season 3 episode, "The Freeze" (1968), in the Season 4 episode, "Mastermind" (1969), and in the Season 7 episode, "Ultimatum" (1972). He also played the main card player, Macon, who threatens the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) in the opening scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).[citation needed]

In 1973, Rhodes co-starred in an episode of the sci-fi drama The Starlost (episode 12, 'The Implant People'). He played Phillip Chancellor II in The Young and the Restless from 1974 to 1975, and from 1978 to 1981, he played escaped convict Dutch Leitner on Soap.

In 1980, Rhodes played a priest in the miniseries The Chisholms. In 1982, he played Leo, a bar patron on Cheers. In 1983 he appeared as Wilson Arthur MacLeish on Magnum P.I. on the episode "Of Sound Mind". In 1984, he had a supporting role as the beleaguered father in the short-lived TV series Double Trouble and appeared as Arland D. Williams Jr. in the television movie Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac. From 1985 to 1990, he played Dr. Grant Roberts in the series Danger Bay. In 1987, he made a guest appearance on The Golden Girls as Jake Smollens, a handsome, rough-around-the-edges caterer.

In 1988, Rhodes guest-starred on Empty Nest as Leonard, an old friend of the main character. In 1991 he played the "Prodigal Father" in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. He starred as ruthless corporate lawyer R.J. Williams during the 1991-92 season of the drama Street Legal. In 1993, Rhodes played Jim Parker in "Shapes" (Season 1, episode 19) of The X-Files.

For seven years (1998-2005), he played the role of Detective Leo Shannon on the acclaimed CBC television series, Da Vinci's Inquest.

Rhodes played the character Milash in an episode of Smallville in 2008. On the revived Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), Rhodes played Chief Medical Officer Sherman Cottle who smoked cigarettes in most scenes. Most recently Rhodes played Mr. Decker, Rufus Decker's father, in the two seasons of The Romeo Section on CBC in 2015-2016.

Rhodes' film appearances were fewer, including roles in Gunfight in Abilene (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Change of Mind (1969), The Neptune Factor (1973), Goldenrod (1976), Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980), Urban Safari (1995), and Tron: Legacy (2010).[4]

In February 2009, the Union of British Columbia Performers honoured Rhodes with the Sam Payne Award for Lifetime Achievement.[5]

Radio work[edit]

Rhodes provided the voice of the US president at the start of each episode of the CBC Radio One space opera/comedy series Canadia: 2056.[citation needed]

Death[edit]

Rhodes died of cancer at the Baillie House Hospice in Maple Ridge, British Columbia at the age of 80.[6][7]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1956 Reprisal! Buck
1957 The 27th Day Television Technician Uncredited
1967 Gunfight in Abilene Joe Slade Uncredited
1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Macon
1969 Change of Mind Roger Morrow
1973 The Neptune Factor Diver Bob Cousins
1973 The Hard Part Begins Jim King
1976 Goldenrod Keno McLaughlin
1980 Oh! Heavenly Dog Montanero
1984 Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac Arland D. Williams Jr. TV movie
1987 After The Promise Dr. Northfield TV movie
1989 The Penthouse Lt. Valeri
1991 The Legend of Kootenai Brown 'McTooth'
1996 Urban Safari Harry
1997 Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan Jack Bailey TV movie
2001 Touched by a Killer Bernie Gordon
2002 Pressure Sheriff Cooper
2002 Snow Dogs Race Official #1
2009 Damage Deacon
2010 Goblin Charlie TV movie
2010 Ramona and Beezus Crusty Photographer
2010 Hunt to Kill Sheriff Westlake
2010 Tron: Legacy Grandpa Flynn
2011 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years Fred Grogan
2012 Barricade Sheriff Howes
2013 Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story NHL Lawyer TV movie

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1960 Bonanza Latigo / Little Henchman 2 episodes
1965–1966 Laredo Don Carlos / Bob Jamison 2 episodes
1964-1965 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour John Cochran Episodes: "The Trap," "Ten Minutes From Now"
1965 Wagon Train Jeremiah Stewart Episode: "The Wanda Snow Story"
1966 The Road West Red Eagle Episode: "Pariah"
1966 The Virginian Ben Colby Episode: "The Wolves Up Front, the Jackals Behind"
1967 Custer War Cloud Episode: "Dangerous Prey"
1967 Mannix Ramon Verona Episode: "The Cost Of A Vacation"
1967 Dundee and the Culhane Michael Episode: "The Vasquez Brief"
1967 Tarzan Hank Episode: "Hotel Hurricane"
1967 The Wild Wild West Captain Dansby Episode: "The Night of the Legion of Death" S3 E12
1968–1972 Mission: Impossible Joel Morgan / Lou Merrick / Raymond Barret 3 episodes
1973 The Starlost Roloff "The Implant People"
1978–1981 Soap Dutch Leitner 38 episodes (Season 2-4)
1979 The New Adventures of Wonder Woman Ward Selkirk Episode: "A Date with Doomsday"
1980 The Chisholms Franciscan priest Episode: "The Siren Song"
1982 Report to Murphy Charlie 6 episodes
1982 Cheers Leo Episode: "Sam's Women"
1982 The Facts of Life Sal Largo Episode: "Jo's Cousin"
1982 Taxi Angelo (Tony's father) Episode: "Travels with My Dad"
1982–1983 Hill Street Blues Judge Paul Grogin 4 episodes
1983 Magnum PI Wilson Arthur MacLeish Episode: "Of Sound Mind"
1983 Gimme a Break! Mayor Episode: "The Centerfold: Part 2"
1983 Amanda's Mr. Johnson Episode: "You Were Meant for Me"
1984 Alice Frank Episode: "Tommy Goes Overboard"
1984–1985 Double Trouble Art Foster 9 episodes
1985–1990 Danger Bay Dr. Grant Roberts 122 episodes
1987 The Golden Girls Jake Smollens Episode: "Diamond in the Rough"
1988 Empty Nest Leonard Episode: "Harry's Friend"
1988–1993 Murder, She Wrote William Mahaffy / Ned Jenks / Ed Bellamy 3 episodes
1989 Bordertown John Quincy McGraw 1 episode: "Keenan's Raiders"
1991–1992 Street Legal R.J. Williams 10 episodes
1993 The X-Files Jim Parker Episode: "Shapes"
1996-1997 The Outer Limits (1995) Senator / General James Eiger 2 episodes
1997 Millennium Peter Dumont Episode: "Broken World"
1997 The Sentinel Don Dominick Lazar Episode: "Inside Man"
1998 The Young and the Restless Phillip Chancellor II 2 episodes
1998–2005 Da Vinci's Inquest Leo Shannon 91 episodes
1999 Hope Island Jake Mitchum Episode: "Look One Way and Row Another"
2000 Call of the Wild Thadeus P. Rossmore Episode: "Betrayal"
2004–2009 Battlestar Galactica Chief Medical Officer Dr. Cottle 36 episodes
2005–2013 Supernatural Father Simon / Mr. Shaw 2 episodes
2006 Whistler Daniel Wallace Episode: "In the Air"
2007 Psych Judge Horace Leland Episode: "Cloudy... With a Chance of Murder"
2008 Smallville Milash Episode: "Quest"
2008 The L Word Colonel Jon Smythe Episode: "Lesbians Gone Wild"
2010 Human Target Guerrero's Friend Episode: "Pilot"
2010 Heartland Eli Stark Episode: "The Slippery Slope"
2013 Arctic Air Virgil Haggard Episode: "Skeletons in the Closet"
2015–2016 The Romeo Section Mr. Decker – Rufus Decker's father 2 episodes
2016 The Flash Agent Smith Episode: "Invasion!"
2016 Legends of Tomorrow Agent Smith Episode: "Invasion!"

References[edit]

  1. ^ Vlessing, Etan (January 9, 2018). "Donnelly Rhodes, 'The Flash' and 'Soap' Actor, Dies at 80". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. ^ "Donnelly Rhodes, Canadian actor known for 'Da Vinci's Inquest', dies at age 80". Global News. The Canadian Press. January 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (January 10, 2018). "Donnelly Rhodes, Prolific Character Actor, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Donnelly Rhodes". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  5. ^ Strachan, Alex (February 25, 2009). "Battlestar Galactica's Donnelly Rhodes honoured for career battles". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  6. ^ "Canadian television actor Donnelly Rhodes dies at age 80". CTV News. January 8, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  7. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 8, 2018). "TV Vet Donnelly Rhodes, of Battlestar Galactica and Soap, Dead at 80". TVLine. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.

External links[edit]