Emmy Award Winner John Hillerman Dies at 84
Emmy Award Winner John Hillerman passed away due to natural causes on Nov.10 at his Houston, Texas estate, at the age of 84 years old. Hillerman 's most iconic role was Jonathan Quayle Higgins III in the movie "Magnum, P.I.", a role that won him an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in 1987.
The Texan native first made an impression in the entertainment industry as an arrogant radio show detective by the name of Simon Brimmer on "Ellery Queen" in 1975. He was also famously known as the boss of Bonnie Franklin in "One Day at a Time", and even traded some sarcastic comedic quips with Betty White in "The Betty White Show" in 1977.
Hillerman graduated from the University of Texas with a major in journalism. He also earned the rank of a sergeant in the Air Force before moving from Texas to New York City to start his career in acting. He met Peter Bogdanovich while making an appearance in "Othello."
Hillerman first had his film appearance in 1971's "The Last Picture Show" by Peter Bogdanovich. Since then, his career skyrocketed and made movies such as Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter", Bogdanovich's "PaperMoon" which he played identical twins, Roman Polanski's "Chinatown", Mel Brook's "Blazing Saddles", and "At Long Last Love" where he played Burt Reylod's valet, Variety wrote.
According to People, he's well-known for his character as Quayle Higgins III, a sardonic estate caretaker on "Magnum, P.I." Playing such a paternalistic character to Tom Selleck's character earned an award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in the 18987 Emmys followed by a Golden Globe Award in the same year.
Hillerman's notable performances include "Valerie", "The Love Boat", "The Last Picture Show" and "High Plains Drifter". According to CNN, Hillerman's final appearance was in the 1996 movie "A Very Brady Sequel."
