John Hillerman, best known as Tom Selleck's Hawaiian estate caretaker Higgins on "Magnum, P.I.," died at his home in Houston on Thursday. He was 84.
Hillerman won an Emmy in 1987 and received three other nominations portraying Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on the primetime hit show, The Hollywood Reporter said. He also appeared on the series "Murder, She Wrote" and "Simon & Simon."
THR said his movie credits included Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" and "Chinatown."
According to Deadline.com, he also had roles in other high-profile films like "They Call Me Mister Tibbs!" in 1970, "The Last Picture Show" in 1971, "What’s Up, Doc?" in 1972, "High Plains Drifter" and “Paper Moon,” both in 1973.
Before "Magnum, P.I.," Hillerman's stage work helped make him a hit as radio show detective Simon Brimmer on the NBC revival of "Ellery Queen" in 1975, as Bonnie Franklin's boss on the CBS sitcom "One Day at a Time," and on the short-lived sitcom "The Betty White Show" in 1977, CNN said.
Publicist Lori De Waal told CNN that Hillerman went on to make one hundred appearances on television, including the 1996 film "A Very Brady Sequel."
Despite his British accent on "Magnum," Hillerman was a native Texan who majored in journalism at the University of Texas, CNN noted. He served as a sergeant during a stint in the Air Force, before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career.
"Magnum, P.I." co-star Larry Manetti led the Hillerman tributes on social media.
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