Henry Polic II, a television staple for four decades, died today at the age of 68. The actor began his career with in 1975 with ABC’s When Things Were Rotten, on which he played the Sheriff of Nottingham. He then went on to play Dracula on the short-lived 1970s NBC series Monster Squad and guest-starred on dozens of shows, including Alice, Mork & Mindy, Eight Is Enough, Murder, She Wrote, Sheena and Saved by the Bell.

Acting in so many of supporting roles, Polic remained a familiar TV face for generations of Americans from the 1970's until his death. He even achieved cult status for children and adults alike with his stint as the voice of Scarecrow/Dr. Jonathan Crane on Batman: The Animated Series. Besides all these impressive credentials, Polic was also a popular game show contestant, having appeared on the $25 000 Pyramid and a later version, The $100 000 Pyramid, both hosted by Dick Clark. Throughout his career, Polic never limited himself to one genre or one specific public profile and although his roles were usually resigned to bit-parts or supporting parts, he rarely appeared in the same type of genre more than a handful of times.

Unfortunately, the actor’s life and career were cut short by illness. It was cancer that took Polic’s life in the end, as his longtime manager Brad Lemack announced via The Hollywood Reporter. Henry Polic died last Sunday (11 August) at an assisted living facility in Sherman Oaks, California. He is survived by his sister, two nieces and a nephew.