‘General Hospital’, ‘Knots Landing’ Actor Was 75

Doug Sheehan, an actor known for his breakout role as Joe Kelly on General Hospital and as Ben Gibson on Knots Landing, among many other credits, has died. Sheehan “passed away peacefully” June 29 at his home in Big Horn, Wyoming, with his wife his side, according to a Kane Funeral Home announcement. He was 75. A cause of death was not revealed.

Born on April 27, 1949, in Santa Monica, Sheehan’s first screen role came in a 1978 episode of Charlie’s Angels. He went on to join the cast of daytime soap General Hospital as a series regular in his first major role, appearing in 205 episodes as lawyer Joe Kelly from 1979-82. He earned a supporting actor Daytime Emmy nomination for his work.

He segued from General Hospital to the role of reporter Ben Gibson on Knots Landing, appearing in 115 episodes from 1983-88.

He also starred as Brian Harper on comedy series Day by Day, created by Andy Borowitz and Gary David Goldberg, which aired for two seasons on NBC from 1988-89. The series centered on Brian (Sheehan) and Kate Harper (Linda Kelsey), a married couple with two successful careers — Brian as a stockbroker, Kate as a lawyer — and their teenage son, Ross (Christopher Daniel Barnes). He also portrayed Mel Horowitz, Cher’s father, on the 1990s UPN sitcom Clueless, based on the movie, taking over the role from Michael Lerner after the first season.

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His other television credits include episodes of Cheers, Columbo, MacGyver, Diagnosis Murder and others. His final screen roles were in 2003, as Sabrina’s (Melissa Joan Hart) father Edward Gibson in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and in a guest role in What I Like About You.

Sheehan appeared in three films during his career, 1979’s 10 starring Bo Derek and Dudley Moore, Victor/Victoria (1982) and most recently Cops n Roberts in 1995.

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