Kevin Dobson
Born
March 18, 1943
Died
September 6, 2020 (77 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Kevin Patrick Dobson is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Detective Bobby Crocker, the trusted protege of Lt. Theo Kojak (played by Telly Savalas) in the CBS crime drama Kojak, and as M. Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie in the soap opera Knots Landing.
After a brief appearance in the 1971 film Klute, and small acting roles on TV series such as The Mod Squad, Emergency! and Cannon, Dobson signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1972. This led to his role of Det. Bobby Crocker, Lt. Theo Kojak's young partner, in the TV series Kojak, opposite Telly Savalas. For the role, he had to borrow a suit. He had twice auditioned and failed, then called his agent, telling him, "'Do what you have to do,' so he called in a favor and I read for them [again]. I was a military policeman in the Army, so I knew how to hold a gun and throw somebody against a wall. I got a call [the next night] asking if I'd sign a contract." Dobson auditioned for a third time and finally won. He remained with Kojak for its entire five-season run from 1973 to 1978, and later reunited with Savalas for the 1990 TV movie, Kojak: It's Always Something, his character having become an assistant district attorney. They remained friends until Savalas' death from bladder cancer in 1994.
In 1978, Dobson played Pete Lomas in the two-part TV movie The Immigrants, based on the novel by Howard Fast.
In 1981, Dobson starred as Det. Jack Shannon, a San Francisco police officer who is a single father, in the CBS series Shannon. However, the show failed to gain substantial ratings and was canceled after nine episodes. A more successful TV role for Dobson followed in 1982: M. Patrick "Mack" MacKenzie in the soap opera Knots Landing, opposite Michele Lee. He joined the show at the beginning of its fourth season in September 1982 and remained in the role until its cancellation in 1993. Dobson won five Soap Opera Digest Awards for his work on the series. He later reunited with his Knots Landing co-stars for a miniseries, Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac in 1997, and again in the 2005 non-fiction special Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again.
Dobson has also appeared in a number of feature films, most notably the World War II movie, Midway, alongside Henry Fonda and Charlton Heston, as Ensign George Gay — a pilot and the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron Eight from the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet's ill-fated opening attack against the Japanese fleet on June 4, 1942. Another prominent role was as the husband of Barbra Streisand in the 1981 romantic comedy All Night Long. He also had a small role as a priest in the well-received 2007 psychological horror film 1408.
Dobson continued to appear in a number of TV roles, including the syndicated F/X: The Series for one season, the drama series The Bold and the Beautiful, and as the fourth actor to play Mickey Horton on Days of Our Lives.

Beast of the Bering Sea
Glenn Hunter
2013

Dark Power
Mayor Stan Wood
2013

Anger Management
Dr. Cameron · (1 episode)
2012

Hawaii Five-0
Al Shepard · (1 episode)
2010
Portal
Benedict
2009

Christmas at Cadillac Jack's
Cop
2007

1408
Priest
2007

Crash Landing
Henderson Davis
2006

Cold Case
Mickey Thompson (2008) · (1 episode)
2003

She's No Angel
Donald Shawnessy
2002

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Malcolm Turner · (1 episode)
2000

Restraining Order
Police Captain
1999

Mom, Can I Keep Her?
Dr. Joel Blair
1998

Nobody Lives Forever
Lt. Jim Ransom
1998

Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac
M. Patrick McKenzie · (2 episodes)
1997

Early Edition
Darrel Foster · (1 episode)
1996

FX: The Series
Detective Leo McCarthy · (23 episodes)
1996

FX - Final Illusion
Leo McCarthy (archive footage)
1996

Nash Bridges
Raymond Porter · (1 episode)
1996

Voice from the Grave
Detective Joe Sraccula
1996

If Someone Had Known
Jack Liner
1995

Touched by an Angel
Coach Earl Rowley · (1 episode)
1994

Burke's Law
Sheriff Greene · (1 episode)
1994

The Conviction of Kitty Dodds
Chuck Hayes
1993
A House of Secrets and Lies
Jack Evans
1992

Dirty Work
Tommy Miller
1992

Fatal Friendship
Michael Bradley
1991

The Commish
(1 episode)
1991

Casey's Gift: For Love of a Child
Hank Bolen
1990

Kojak: It's Always Something
Assistant D.A. Bobby Crocker
1990

Money, Power, Murder.
Peter Finley
1989

Sweet Revenge
Col. Joseph Cheever
1984

Margin for Murder
Mike Hammer
1981

All Night Long
Bobby Gibbons
1981

Mark, I Love You
Hal Painter
1980

Reunion
Don Hollander
1980

Hardhat & Legs
Sal Pacheco
1980

Knots Landing
M. Patrick MacKenzie · (291 episodes)
1979

Transplant
John Hurley
1979

Tales of the Unexpected
Fred Pearson · (1 episode)
1979

The Immigrants
Pete Lomas
1978

Battle of the Network Stars
(1 episode)
1976

Midway
Ensign George Gay
1976

Dinah!
Self · (1 episode)
1974

Kojak
Bobby Crocker · (118 episodes)
1973

Emergency!
1st Deputy · (1 episode)
1972

Cannon
(1 episode)
1971

Klute
Man at Bar (uncredited)
1971

The Mod Squad
Howie · (1 episode)
1968

Ironside
Young Marine · (1 episode)
1967

The Mike Douglas Show
Self · (4 episodes)
1961

The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host · (1 episode)
1961