Donnelly Rhodes Henry (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018)[1][2] was a Canadian actor. He was known to Canadian audiences as Sgt. Nick Raitt on CBC TV's Sidestreet (1975–78), Grant "Doc" Roberts on Danger Bay (1984–90), and Det. Leo Shannon on Da Vinci's Inquest (1998–2005). He also had many American television and film credits, notably as the hapless escaped convict Dutch Leitner on the soap opera spoof Soap (1978–81), Phillip Chancellor II on the daytime soap The Young and the Restless (1974–75, 1978–81), and Doctor Cottle ("Doc") on Battlestar Galactica (2004–09).

Rhodes won a Gemini Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his performance on Da Vinci's Inquest, with three additional nominations. He received the Earle Grey Award in 2006.[3]

Early life and education

Rhodes was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, either in 1936[4] or in 1937.[5] His mother, Ann Henry, was a playwright.[5] He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a mechanic, and studied at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the National Theatre School of Canada.[5] After graduating in 1963, he joined the Stratford Festival.[5]

Career

A large portion of Rhodes' career consists of guest-starring roles in American television. He appeared twice on Laredo: in 1965, he played Bob Jamison in "Rendezvous at Arillo" and played a lead role in "The Trap", an episode on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The next year, Rhodes was cast in "The Would-Be Gentleman of Laredo" as Don Carlos.

In 1966, Rhodes appeared as Red Eagle in the episode "Pariah" of the Universal Television series The Road West. The same year, he guest-starred on Dundee and the Culhane. He appeared in three episodes of the original Mission: Impossible (1966-1973 TV series), in the Season 3 episode, "The Freeze" (1968), in the Season 4 episode, "Mastermind" (1969), and in the Season 7 episode, "Ultimatum" (1972). He also played the main card player, Macon, who threatens the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) in the opening scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).[citation needed]

In 1973, Rhodes co-starred in an episode of the sci-fi drama The Starlost (episode 12, 'The Implant People'). He played Phillip Chancellor II in The Young and the Restless from 1974 to 1975, and from 1978 to 1981, he played escaped convict Dutch Leitner on Soap.

In 1980, Rhodes played a priest in the miniseries The Chisholms. In 1982, he played Leo, a bar patron on Cheers. In 1983 he appeared as Wilson Arthur MacLeish on Magnum P.I. on the episode "Of Sound Mind". In 1984, he had a supporting role as the beleaguered father in the short-lived TV series Double Trouble and appeared as Arland D. Williams Jr. in the television movie Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac. From 1985 to 1990, he played Dr. Grant Roberts in the series Danger Bay. In 1987, he made a guest appearance on The Golden Girls as Jake Smollens, a handsome, rough-around-the-edges caterer.

In 1988, Rhodes guest-starred on Empty Nest as Leonard, an old friend of the main character. In 1991 he played the "Prodigal Father" in an episode of Murder, She Wrote. He starred as ruthless corporate lawyer R.J. Williams during the 1991-92 season of the drama Street Legal. In 1993, Rhodes played Jim Parker in "Shapes" (Season 1, episode 19) of The X-Files. He would later return to the series in 1996 in a different role for Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man (Season 4, episode 7).[6]

For seven years (1998-2005), he played the role of Detective Leo Shannon on the acclaimed CBC television series, Da Vinci's Inquest.

Rhodes played the character Milash in an episode of Smallville in 2008. On the revived Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), Rhodes played Chief Medical Officer Sherman Cottle who smoked cigarettes in most scenes. Most recently Rhodes played Mr. Decker, Rufus Decker's father, in the two seasons of The Romeo Section on CBC in 2015-2016.

Rhodes' film appearances were fewer, including roles in Gunfight in Abilene (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Change of Mind (1969), The Neptune Factor (1973), Goldenrod (1976), Oh! Heavenly Dog (1980), Urban Safari (1995), and Tron: Legacy (2010).[7]

In February 2009, the Union of British Columbia Performers honoured Rhodes with the Sam Payne Award for Lifetime Achievement.[8]

Radio work

Rhodes provided the voice of the US president at the start of each episode of the CBC Radio One space opera/comedy series Canadia: 2056.[citation needed]

Death

Rhodes died of cancer at the Baillie House Hospice in Maple Ridge, British Columbia at the age of 80.[9][10]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1956 Reprisal! Buck
1957 The 27th Day Television Technician Uncredited
1967 Gunfight in Abilene Joe Slade
1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Macon
Change of Mind Roger Morrow
1973 The Neptune Factor Bob Cousins
The Hard Part Begins Jim King
1976 Goldenrod Keno McLaughlin
1980 Oh! Heavenly Dog Montanero
1989 The Penthouse Lt. Valeri
1991 The Legend of Kootenai Brown 'McTooth'
1996 Urban Safari Harry
2001 Touched by a Killer Bernie Gordon
2002 Pressure Sheriff Cooper
Snow Dogs Race Official #1
2009 Damage Deacon
2010 Ramona and Beezus Crusty Photographer
Hunt to Kill Sheriff Westlake
Tron: Legacy Grandpa Flynn
2011 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years Fred Grogan
2012 Barricade Sheriff Howes

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1960 Bonanza Latigo / Little Henchman Episodes: "San Francisco" & "The Mission"
1964–65 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour John Cochran Episodes: "The Trap," "Ten Minutes From Now"
1965 Wagon Train Jeremiah Stewart Episode: "The Wanda Snow Story"
1965–66 Laredo Don Carlos, Bob Jamison 2 episodes
1966 The Road West Red Eagle Episode: "Pariah"
The Virginian Ben Colby Episode: "The Wolves Up Front, the Jackals Behind"
1967 Custer War Cloud Episode: "Dangerous Prey"
Mannix Ramon Verona Episode: "The Cost Of A Vacation"
Dundee and the Culhane Michael Episode: "The Vasquez Brief"
Tarzan Hank Episode: "Hotel Hurricane"
The Wild Wild West Captain Dansby Episode: "The Night of the Legion of Death" S3 E12
1968–72 Mission: Impossible Joel Morgan / Lou Merrick / Raymond Barret 3 episodes
1973 The Starlost Roloff "The Implant People"
1978–81 Soap Dutch Leitner 38 episodes (Season 2-4)
1979 The New Adventures of Wonder Woman Ward Selkirk Episode: "A Date with Doomsday"
1980 The Chisholms Franciscan priest Episode: "The Siren Song"
1982 Report to Murphy Charlie 6 episodes
Cheers Leo Episode: "Sam's Women"
The Facts of Life Sal Largo Episode: "Jo's Cousin"
Taxi Angelo (Tony's father) Episode: "Travels with My Dad"
1982–83 Hill Street Blues Judge Paul Grogin 4 episodes
1983 Magnum PI Wilson Arthur MacLeish Episode: "Of Sound Mind"
Gimme a Break! Mayor Episode: "The Centerfold: Part 2"
Amanda's Mr. Johnson Episode: "You Were Meant for Me"
1984 Alice Frank Episode: "Tommy Goes Overboard"
Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac Arland D. Williams Jr. TV movie
1984–85 Double Trouble Art Foster 9 episodes
1985–90 Danger Bay Dr. Grant Roberts 122 episodes
1987 The Golden Girls Jake Smollens Episode: "Diamond in the Rough"
After The Promise Dr. Northfield TV movie
1988 Empty Nest Leonard Episode: "Harry's Friend"
1988–93 Murder, She Wrote Various roles 3 episodes
1989 Bordertown John Quincy McGraw 1 episode: "Keenan's Raiders"
1991–92 Street Legal R.J. Williams 10 episodes
1993 The X-Files Jim Parker Episode: "Shapes"
1996, 1997 The Outer Limits Senator, General James Eiger 2 episodes
1997 Millennium Peter Dumont Episode: "Broken World"
The Sentinel Don Dominick Lazar Episode: "Inside Man"
Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan Jack Bailey TV movie
1998 The Young and the Restless Phillip Chancellor II 2 episodes
1998–2005 Da Vinci's Inquest Leo Shannon 91 episodes
1999 Hope Island Jake Mitchum Episode: "Look One Way and Row Another"
2000 Call of the Wild Thadeus P. Rossmore Episode: "Betrayal"
2004–09 Battlestar Galactica Dr. Sherman Cottle 36 episodes
2005, 2013 Supernatural Father Simon, Mr. Shaw 2 episodes
2006 Whistler Daniel Wallace Episode: "In the Air"
2007 Psych Judge Horace Leland Episode: "Cloudy... With a Chance of Murder"
2008 Smallville Milash Episode: "Quest"
The L Word Colonel Jon Smythe Episode: "Lesbians Gone Wild"
2010 Human Target Guerrero's Friend Episode: "Pilot"
Heartland Eli Stark Episode: "The Slippery Slope"
Goblin Charlie TV movie
2013 Arctic Air Virgil Haggard Episode: "Skeletons in the Closet"
Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story NHL Lawyer TV movie
2015–16 The Romeo Section Mr. Decker 2 episodes
2016 The Flash Agent Smith Episode: "Invasion!" (crossover episode)
Legends of Tomorrow

References

  1. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (January 9, 2018). "Donnelly Rhodes, 'The Flash' and 'Soap' Actor, Dies at 80". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. ↑ "Donnelly Rhodes, Canadian actor known for 'Da Vinci's Inquest', dies at age 80". Global News. The Canadian Press. January 8, 2018.
  3. ↑ Press, Etan Vlessing,The Associated (2006-10-05). "Rhodes to receive Earle Grey Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Slotnik, Daniel E. (January 10, 2018). "Donnelly Rhodes, Prolific Character Actor, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Donnelly Rhodes". thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  6. ↑ "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man". IMDb.
  7. ↑ "Donnelly Rhodes". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  8. ↑ Strachan, Alex (February 25, 2009). "Battlestar Galactica's Donnelly Rhodes honoured for career battles". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Canadian television actor Donnelly Rhodes dies at age 80". CTV News. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  10. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 8, 2018). "TV Vet Donnelly Rhodes, of Battlestar Galactica and Soap, Dead at 80". TVLine. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnelly_Rhodes