General Hospital star Doug Sheehan dies at 75: The actor got his start in the films 10 and Victor/Victoria before hitting his stride on television
- Sheehan died at his home in Wyoming with his wife Cate Abert by his side
- He went on to star on the soap Knots Landing and on the Clueless TV show
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The actor Doug Sheehan, who was best known for his four-year stint on the popular soap opera General Hospital, has died at the age of 75.
Sheehan's death was announced by the Kane Funeral Home on Monday on its website.
The announcement stated that Sheehan had died at his home in Big Horn, Wyoming, with his wife Cate Abert at his side, though his cause of death was not shared.
Sheehan had small parts in a handful of classic films, including the comedies 10 (1979) and Victor/Victoria (1982), but it was his work in television that he became best known for.
In addition to his role on General Hospital — which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy nomination — Sheehan also starred on the primetime soap Knots Landing and played Cher's father on the Clueless TV show adaptation.
The actor Doug Sheehan, who was best known for his four-year stint on the popular soap opera General Hospital, has died at the age of 75; he's pictured in 1988 in Universal City, California
Sheehan appeared on General Hospital as Joe Kelly from 1979 to 1982; pictured with Robin Mattson and Louise Hoven in 1981
Sheehan was born on April 27, 1949, in Santa Monica, California.
The actor's first credited on-screen role was in a 1978 episode of Charlie's Angels.
The following year, he made the jump to the big screen when he played the minor role of The Policeman in Blake Edwards' hit romantic comedy 10, which starred Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews (who was Edwards' wife) and Bo Derek, who was featured in an iconic scene in which she ran on a beach while sporting beaded cornrows.
Sheehan worked with Edwards again on his acclaimed 1982 rom-com Victor/Victoria, which again starred Andrews, this time opposite James Garner.
Sheehan had a small, uncredited role in one of the film's dance numbers.
His only other film role came more than a decade later in the 1995 film Cops N Roberts (not to be confused with the similarly named 1994 comedy Cops & Robbersons).
Sheehan's longest-running role was as Ben Gibson on the primetime soap Knots Landing.
The long-running Dallas spinoff debuted in 1979 and ran through 1993, making it the third-longest-running primetime drama in the US at the time of its cancellation, behind the classic Westerns Gunsmoke and Bonanza.
Sheehan joined the cast to play a journalist and second husband of Valene Ewing (Joan Van Ark) for four seasons, from 1983 to 1987.
Following his Knots Landing stint, the TV actor joined the main cast of the NBC sitcom Day By Day, which only lasted for two seasons from 1988–1989.
Amid his General Hospital stint, Sheehan appeared in small roles in the films 10 (1979) and Victor/Victoria (1982); seen on General Hospital in 1979 with Richard Dean Anderson and Susan Pratt
Sheehan's longest-running role was as Ben Gibson on the primetime soap Knots Landing (pictured). He played Ben Gibson, the journalist second husband of Valene Ewing (Joan Van Ark) from 1983–87; pictured with Van Ark
Sheehan played Cher's father Mel Horowitz on season two and three of Clueless (pictured) from 1997–1998, after replacing the original actor Michael Lerner
Following years of guest appearances on shows including MacGyver and Columbo, Sheehan got his next main cast role on the TV adaptation of Clueless.
He appeared in the second and third seasons, from 1997 to 1999, when he replaced Michael Lerner as Cher Horowitz's father Mel Horowitz after the show moved from ABC to UPN.
Sheehan also appeared in two episodes as the father of Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart) on Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
After his second and final appearance on the show in 2003 and a guest stint on What I Like About You in the same year, Sheehan appears to have retired from acting.
