Starsky & Hutch’s Capt. Harold Dobey aka Bernie Hamilton Dies (Photos)

Posted on January 2, 2009

Actor Bernie Hamilton who played police Capt. Harold Dobey in the 1970s TV series “Starsky and Hutch,” has died at the age of 80. Hamilton died of cardiac arrest Tuesday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said his son, Raoul Hamilton.

Bernie Hamilton was born in Los Angeles in 1928. Hamilton ran away from home as a teenager and ended up staying in someone’s garage and attending Oakland Technical High School, where he played football and got involved in acting.

Hamilton appeared in more than 20 films, including “The Young One,” “The Devil at 4 O’Clock,” “Synanon,” “The Swimmer,” “Walk the Walk” and “The Organization.”

Bernie Hamilton also had guest appearances on television series before becoming a regular on “Starsky and Hutch,” the ABC police drama starring Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul. Hamilton played the brusque, by-the-book Capt. Harold Dobey, a role that gave him wide recognition to this day, his son said.

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After “Starsky and Hutch,” Hamilton spent the next 20 years in the music business producing R&B and gospel records under the record label Chocolate Snowman.