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John Hillerman
Hillerman in The Betty White Show, 1977
Born	(1932-12-20)December 20, 1932 Denison, Texas, U.S.
Died	November 9, 2017(2017-11-09) (aged 84) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1957–1999
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1953–1957
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	Strategic Air Command

John Benedict Hillerman (December 20, 1932 – November 9, 2017) was an American actor best known for his starring role as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on the television series Magnum, P.I. that aired from 1980 to 1988. For his role as Higgins, Hillerman earned five Golden Globe nominations, winning in 1981, and four Emmy nominations, winning in 1987. He retired from acting in 1999.

Early life and career

Hillerman was born in Denison, Texas, the son of Christopher Benedict Hillerman, a gas station owner, and Lenora Joan (née Medlinger). He was the middle child with two sisters. His father was the grandson of immigrants from Germany and Holland, and his mother the daughter of immigrants from Austria and Germany. He was a first cousin once removed of author Tony Hillerman. Hillerman developed an interest in opera at the age of ten, and traveled to Dallas to watch Metropolitan Opera productions. He attended St. Xavier's Academy, and after graduation, he attended the University of Texas at Austin for three years, majoring in journalism.

Hillerman served four years in the United States Air Force (1953–1957), working in maintenance in a B-36 wing of the Strategic Air Command, and achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He became interested in acting after working with a theatrical group in Fort Worth during his service: "I was bored with barracks life. I got into to meet people in town. A light went on." After his 1957 discharge, he moved to New York City to study at the American Theatre Wing, and performed in professional theater for the next twelve years, in productions such as Henry IV, Part 2 and The Great God Brown. Despite over 100 stage roles, Hillerman was unable to make a living as a stage actor, and he moved to Hollywood in 1969.

Career

Film

Hillerman made his film debut in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) in an uncredited role as a reporter. Director Peter Bogdanovich, with whom Hillerman had previously worked during his stage career, cast Hillerman in his films The Last Picture Show; What's Up, Doc?; and Paper Moon. Hillerman worked steadily thereafter in motion pictures and television through the 1970s, including notable supporting roles in the 1974 films Chinatown and Blazing Saddles. After being cast in Magnum, P.I., he shot only four additional pictures between 1980 and 1996, with his final film performance coming in A Very Brady Sequel.

Television

In 1975, Hillerman was a co-star in Ellery Queen as Simon Brimmer, a radio detective who hosted a radio show and tried to outsmart the title character (Jim Hutton). From 1976 to 1980, he had a recurring role as Mr. Conners on the sitcom One Day at a Time, and he co-starred as Betty White's estranged husband on The Betty White Show (1977–1978). He appeared in season 2, episode 4 of Wonder Woman as a Nazi spy. In 1978, Hillerman also appeared in an episode of Little House on the Prairie called "Harriet's Happenings." In 1979, Hillerman performed on a television pilot for an American version of the British situation comedy Are You Being Served?, Beanes of Boston, as Mr. John Peacock, an American translation of the original British character, Captain Peacock.

He is best remembered for his role as former British Army Sergeant Major Jonathan Higgins in Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988). He learned to speak in the character's educated middle/upper class English accent, known as Received Pronunciation or the King's/Queen's English, by listening to a recording of Laurence Olivier reciting Hamlet. He considered Higgins his favorite role, and described the character in a 1988 interview as "think he's the only sane character , and everyone else is stark raving mad." Hillerman recalled in 1984 that he was up for a role in the 1980 Buck Henry/Bob Newhart film First Family and "wanted the part very badly," and had he gotten the role, he would have turned down the role of Higgins.

In 1982, Hillerman starred in the television pilot of Tales of the Gold Monkey, as a German villain named Fritz the Monocle. He hosted the 1984 David Hemmings-directed puzzle video Money Hunt: The Mystery of the Missing Link. In 1990, Hillerman returned to television as Lloyd Hogan in the sixth and final season of the sitcom The Hogan Family. That same year, he portrayed Dr. Watson to Edward Woodward's Sherlock Holmes in Hands of a Murderer.

In 1993, he appeared in Berlin Break for one season. He played the role of Mac MacKenzie, a former spy and currently the proprietor of Mac's, a bar in West Berlin considered to be neutral territory during the Cold War. Mac teamed up with two jobless spies as investigators: Valentin Renko (Nicholas Clay), an ex-KGB agent, and Willy Richter (Kai Wulff), an ex-BND (West German secret service) operative. The show reunited him with Jeff MacKay, who portrayed "Mac" MacReynolds in Magnum P.I..

Later years and death

After Hillerman retired from acting in 1999, he returned to his home state of Texas. On November 9, 2017, he died of cardiovascular disease at his Houston home, at the age of 84. His body is donated to the University of Houston for medical science.

Filmography

Sources:

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Notes

1. An article about Hillerman in Orange Coast magazine in June 1988 said, "... the accent supplanted a thick drawl. Born and raised in Texas, he trained away the drawl in a year of intensive work in New York's American Theatre Wing."

References

1. "John Hillerman Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
2. ^ Haas, Matthew (November 9, 2017). "John Hillerman, Snooty Sidekick on 'Magnum, P.I.,' Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
3. ^ Sheff, David (April 18, 1983). "The Lean Years Are Over for John Hillerman, Who's Finding a Magnum of Success in Hawaii". People. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
4. ^ Logan, Dan (June 1988). "John Hillerman Says Goodbye to Magnum, P.I." Orange Coast. pp. 214–215. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
5. Quttman, Monika (June 17, 1987). "'Higgins' Not Really British". The Victoria Advocate. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
6. ^ "John Hillerman, Emmy-Winning 'Magnum, P.I.' Actor, Dies at 84". Variety. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
7. "("John Hillerman" search results)". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
8. "'Magnum, P.I.' Star John Hillerman Dead At 84". TMZ. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
9. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
10. ^ Conroy, Sarah Booth (June 1, 1986). "John Hillerman". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
11. ^ "'Magnum, P.I.' actor John Hillerman dies at 84". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
12. "John Hillerman for "Money Hunt" 1984". YouTube. The Bobbie Wygant Archive. May 29, 2020.
13. ^ Barnes, Mike (November 9, 2017). "John Hillerman, Higgins on 'Magnum, P.I.,' Dies at 84". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
14. "Billboard Videocassette Top 40" (PDF). Billboard. September 15, 1984. p. 30. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
15. ^ "'Magnum P.I.' Higgins actor John Hillerman dies at 84". Fox News. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
16. "'Magnum, P.I.' Star Died From Heart Disease". TMZ. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
17. "John Hillerman". Find A Grave.
18. "John Hillerman Filmography". FanDango. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
19. "John Hillerman". Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
20. "John Hillerman Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
21. "Nominees/Winners". emmys.com. 1984. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
22. "Nominees/Winners". emmys.com. 1985. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
23. "Nominees/Winners". emmys.com. 1986. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
24. "Nominees/Winners". emmys.com. 1987. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
25. ^ "Winners and Nominees: John Hillerman". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved June 10, 2017.

External links

• John Hillerman at IMDb
• John Hillerman at the TCM Movie Database
• John Hillerman at the Internet Broadway Database
• John Hillerman at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• John Hillerman — Aveleyman

• 1932 births
• 2017 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• American people of Austrian descent
• American people of Dutch descent
• American people of German descent
• Male actors from Texas
• Military personnel from Texas
• Moody College of Communication alumni
• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
• Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
• People from Denison, Texas
• United States Air Force airmen