William Boyett

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William Boyett (1927 – December 29, 2004) was an American actor best known for his work as the low-key but authoritative Sgt. Macdonald on the police drama Adam 12. Adam 12 producer Jack Webb recommended him for the role after his performance in an episode of Webb's Dragnet, and Boyett stayed with the series for its entire 1968-1975 run. Boyett appeared in a number of TV shows, such as Perry Mason, Fantasy Island, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also acted in several motion pictures, such as The Rocketeer (film) (1991) and The Hidden (1987), for which Boyett earned much Sci-Fi fan praise as a hospital patient named Johnathan P. Miller, possessed by an alien being with a taste for red Ferraris and rock and roll music.

Boyett also played Battalion Chief McConike on the 1970s series Emergency!.

Boyett was born in Akron, Ohio and lived there until the 1940s when he moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. He won a Shakespeare competition in high school which led to acting jobs in radio. He served in the Navy during World War II and afterward performed on the stage in New York and Los Angeles. (Associated Press, 2005) He died on December 29, 2004 in Los Angeles, of complications from pneumonia and kidney failure. He left behind a wife, 2 brothers, a son and daughter, and 2 granddaughters.