Alan Rachins was born on October 3, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and passed away on November 2, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. The American actor is dead at age 82 from heart failure, according to our sister site The Hollywood Reporter. May his memory be a blessing.
Rachins had over 75 acting credits to his name, including on the TV shows “L.A. Law” (1986-94) as Douglas Brackman, “Dharma and Greg” (1997-2002) as Larry Finkelstein, and “Stargate SG-1” (1997) as Colonel Kennedy, and in the movie “Showgirls” (1995) as Tony Moss.
The actor received awards nominations at the Emmys and Golden Globes for his role on “L.A. Law,” losing to Larry Drake (“L.A. Law”) and Rutger Hauer (“Escape from Sobibor”), respectively. He took on the character of managing partner Douglas Brackman Jr. for all eight seasons between 1986 and 1994, plus in the 2002 TV movie reunion, for a total of 172 episodes.
Younger audiences may recognize Rachins for playing Myron Lawrence “Larry” Finkelstein, the hippie father of Dharma, in all 119 episodes of “Dharma and Greg.” The ABC sitcom aired between 1997 and 2002 and focused on the romance between Jenna Elfman‘s Dharma and Thomas Gibson‘s Greg. Below, watch a clip from Season 1, Episode 2 that focuses on Larry and the other in-laws (Susan Sullivan, Mitchell Ryan, Mimi Kennedy).
The cult film “Showgirls” has gained popularity in recent years, but it wasn’t quite as beloved when it was first released in 1995. In fact, it was nominated for multiple Razzie Awards, including Rachins as Worst Supporting Actor. The Razzie “winners” for “Showgirls” were Elizabeth Berkley as Worst Actress, Worst Screen Couple, and Worst New Star, Paul Verhoeven as Worst Director, “Walk Into The Wind” as Worst Original Song, Joe Eszterhas as Worst Screenplay, and Worst Picture.
As for his personal life, Rachins married actress Joanna Frank in 1978 and he had one child. His brother-in-law was the late Steven Bochco (who created “L.A. Law” and many other TV shows), and director/producer Jesse Bochco was his nephew.
Rachins’ last credited role was as Herb in the short film “The Lights Above” (2023). He also recently played Bud on “NCIS” (2023), Vern on “Young Sheldon” (2021), and Louie on “Grey’s Anatomy” (2018). What is YOUR favorite Alan Rachins character of all time?
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