Oh, Alan Rachins, you brilliant legal eagle of ‘80s and ‘90s TV, you’ve argued your last case—and in true Hollywood fashion, made quite the dramatic exit.
The beloved actor, who brought us years of high-stakes courtroom drama on L.A. Law and unforgettable quirkiness as Dharma’s eccentric dad on Dharma & Greg, has sadly signed off for the final time. Alan’s wife, Joanna Frank, confirmed that he left us peacefully on Saturday, November 2, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A., slipping away at 82 in his sleep due to heart failure. We like to think he got a 5-star send-off, complete with a tearful but dignified closing argument.
Alan was the iconic Douglas Brackman Jr., a hard-hitting attorney who could make anyone crack under pressure with just a raised eyebrow. He held down that role on L.A. Law from 1986 to 1994 and even returned for a 2002 TV movie because, let’s be real, L.A. just wasn’t the same without his carefully curated mix of sass and courtroom swagger. Emmy voters even threw him a nomination back in ’88, and he nabbed a Golden Globe nod too, because apparently, L.A. Law wasn’t just a TV show; it was a cultural event.
But wait, there’s more! Alan didn’t just tackle the justice system—he also dabbled in sitcom chaos as Larry Finkelstein, Dharma’s hippie dad, on Dharma & Greg. From 1997 to 2002, he brought an undeniable brand of peace, love, and very questionable parenting advice to TV screens, proving once again that he was the kind of guy who could keep an audience guessing whether he was about to offer sage wisdom or, you know, join a drum circle in the living room.
If there was a hit show from the ‘80s or ‘90s that didn’t feature Alan Rachins in at least one scene, it’s only because he was busy lighting up a different soundstage. He popped up in Dallas, The Golden Girls, Diagnosis Murder, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Rizzoli & Isles, Mom, and most recently, in a 2023 guest role on NCIS, where he surely made everyone at NCIS HQ feel like they were on the stand. His IMDb page is a stroll through TV history—seriously, this man worked with everyone.
Now, we’ll miss Alan dearly, and the TV world feels a little dimmer without his sly smiles and all-knowing glances. Our hearts go out to his family, his friends, and his legion of fans who will undoubtedly be rewatching L.A. Law and Dharma & Greg with a tear and a chuckle. Here’s to you, Alan—court is officially adjourned.
