James B. Sikking

Born:March 5, 1934

Place of Birth:Los Angeles, California, United States

Died:July 13, 2024

Known For:Acting

Biography

James B. Sikking (March 5, 1934 - July 13, 2024) was an American actor known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s NBC TV series Hill Street Blues. He also starred on the ABC TV series Doogie Howser, M.D. as Dr. David Howser and on the short-lived 1997 CBS drama series Brooklyn South as Captain Stan Jonas. Sikking did the voice of General Gordon on the short-lived 1998 cartoon series Invasion America. His well-known films include The Competition, Outland, Up the Creek and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, in which he played Captain Styles, the captain of the USS Excelsior. Sikking's film career started in 1955. Sikking starred in the critically acclaimed 1992 Fox Network TV movie Doing Time on Maple Drive. He has made guest appearances on many TV series including Perry Mason, Rawhide, Bonanza, The Outer Limits, General Hospital, Hunter and Batman Beyond. Sikking was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Sue Sikking (née Paxton), was a founder of Santa Monica's Unity-by-the-Sea Church. He has two living brothers, Tom and Art, and a sister, Joy. James Barrie Sikking has a third brother, Robert Paxton Sikking born October 20, 1922, died April 22, 1988. His brother Bob served in the 101st Airborne and was a partial inspiration for Stephen Speilberg and Tom Hanks production Band of Brothers. Bob was awarded two purple hearts, the bronze star, and together with his fellow soldiers, received a presidential citation for their part in the Siege of Bastogne which led to the defeat of Hitler's sixth Army. His photograph as the first American soldier to reach Dachau Concentration Camp appears in the Imperial War Museum, London. Sikking is the father of actor Andrew Sikking.

Images

Filmography

Acting

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

Control Room Officer (uncredited)

1971

The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a spacecraft. Intrigued by their intelligence, humans use them for research - until the apes attempt to escape.

Made of Honor

Reverend Foote

2008

Tom and Hannah have been platonic friends for 10 years. He's a serial dater, while she wants marriage but hasn't found Mr. Right. Just as Tom is starting to think that he is relationship material after all, Hannah gets engaged. When she asks Tom to be her 'maid' of honor, he reluctantly agrees just so he can attempt to stop the wedding and woo her.

The Pelican Brief

Denton Voyles

1993

A law student's theory about the recent deaths of two Supreme Court justices embroils her in a far-reaching web of murder, corruption, and greed.

Capricorn One

Control Room Man

1977

In order to protect the reputation of the American space program, a team of NASA administrators turn the first Mars mission into a phony Mars landing. Under threat of harm to their families the astronauts play their part in the deception on a staged set in a deserted military base. But once the real ship returns to Earth and burns up on re-entry, the astronauts become liabilities. Now, with the help of a crusading reporter, they must battle a sinister conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Captain Styles

1984

A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

Captain Andy Hayes

1972

Marshal Chris Adams turns down a friend's request to help stop the depredations of a gang of Mexican bandits. When his wife is killed by bank robbers and his friend is killed capturing the last thief, Chris feels obligated to take up his friend's cause and recruits a writer and five prisoners to destroy the desperadoes.The last in the original series of four "Magnificent Seven" movies.

Fever Pitch

Doug Meeks

2005

When Ben Wrightman, a young teacher, begins dating pretty businesswoman Lindsey Meeks, the two don't seem to have a lot of the same interests, but they fall in love, regardless. Their romance goes well until baseball season begins, and Lindsey soon realizes that Ben is completely obsessed with the Boston Red Sox. Though she tries to understand Ben's passionate team loyalty, eventually it threatens to end their otherwise happy relationship.

Ordinary People

Ray Hanley

1980

Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.

Point Blank

Hired Gun

1967

After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.

Narrow Margin

Nelson

1990

An L.A. District Attorney attempts to take an unwilling murder witness back to the United States to testify against a top-level mob boss. Frantically attempting to escape two deadly hitmen sent to silence her, they board a Vancouver-bound train only to discover that the killers are onboard with them. For the next 20 hours, as the train hurls through the beautiful but isolated Canadian wilderness, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues in which their ability to tell friend from foe is a matter of life and death.

Outland

Sgt. Montone

1981

On the sunless moon Io, Marshall William T. O’Niel goes toe-to-toe with the corrupt manager of a mining colony and his gang of roughnecks while investigating a rash of worker suicides.

Von Ryan's Express

American POW

1965

Von Ryan's Express stars Frank Sinatra as a POW colonel who leads a daring escape from WWII Italy by taking over a freight train, but he has to win over the British soldiers he finds himself commanding.

Soul Man

Bill Watson

1986

A white prospective grad student's affluent family won't pay his way through law school, so he takes tanning pills to darken his skin in order to qualify for an African-American scholarship at Harvard. He soon gets more than he bargained for, as he begins to learn what life is really like for blacks in America.