Robert Hegyes - wikipedia Robert Hegyes Robert Hegyes Robert Hegyes in October 2008 ( 1951 - 05 - 07 ) May 7, 1951 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. January 26, 2012 ( 2012 - 01 - 26 ) ( aged 60 ) Edison, New Jersey, U.S. Cause of death Pulmonary embolism Occupation Actor Years active 1975 -- 2012 Spouse ( s ) Mary Kunes ( m. 1973 - 1977 ) Kyle Drummer ( m. 1979 - 1984 ) Lynn O'Hare ( m. 1987 - 1993, 2 children ) Cynthia Wylie ( 1994 - 2007, 2 children ) Robert Hegyes ( pronounced Hedges ; May 7, 1951 -- January 26, 2012 ) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of high school student Juan Epstein on the 1970s American sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter and as detective Manny Esposito on the 1980s American crime drama Cagney & Lacey. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 3.1 Death 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 References 6 External links Early life Hegyes was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to a Hungarian - American father, Stephen, and an Italian - American mother, Marie Dominica Cocozza. Hegyes was the oldest and had three siblings ( Mark, Stephanie, and Elizabeth ). He grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey, and began acting in high school in the mid-1960s under the guidance of Metuchen High School theater teacher, Barton Shepard. Hegyes attended Glassboro State College after graduating from high school. While there, he worked part - time at the Hardee 's fast food restaurant in town. Upon graduation from Glassboro State College ( now Rowan University ) where he completed his student teaching requirement at Haddon Township High School, with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech / Theater and Secondary Education, Hegyes ventured to New York City to pursue a career in acting and soon became a member of a Greenwich Village children 's theater group called `` Theater in a Trunk, '' performing educational theater at U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt 's birthplace, on East 20th Street. Hegyes continued performing in the Village in educational children 's theater, this time as a puppeteer with an arm and rod puppet company, playing Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows. Robert managed to work a third performing job in Washington Square Park and at the Provincetown Playhouse as a member of the political improvisational guerrilla troupe, `` Jack LaRumpa 's Flying Drum & Kazoo Band. '' Career Hegyes in Welcome Back, Kotter, 1976 Within a year of graduating from college, Hegyes was cast to co-star in the highly acclaimed Off Broadway drama, Naomi Court, starring actor Brad Davis ( Midnight Express ). After completing the successful Manhattan Theater Club engagement, Hegyes was cast by Tony Award - winning actor Len Cariou ( making his directing debut ) to co-star in the Broadway drama, Do n't Call Back, starring Arlene Francis and Dorian Harewood. While performing on Broadway, Hegyes auditioned for television producer James Komack and was cast to star in what was to become the award - winning ABC comedy, Welcome Back, Kotter. Hegyes portrayed the character of Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein ( typically referred to as simply `` Epstein '' ). The show lasted four seasons, from 1975 to 1979. Hegyes became one of the show 's directors at age 25. While on the show, he was the key force of the winning tug - of - war team on the 1976 edition of Battle of the Network Stars. Hegyes guest starred in more than thirty television shows, including Saturday Night Live with Quentin Tarantino, NewsRadio, Diagnosis : Murder with Dick Van Dyke, The Drew Carey Show ( in an April Fools ' Day episode where the character Oswald was recast for a brief scene with Hegyes playing the role ) and The Streets of San Francisco with Michael Douglas. He also appeared in the award - winning Volkswagen Passat commercial `` The Chase '' for director Kinka Usher. Hegyes appeared in Honeymoon Hotel with Jane Kaczmarek, Underground Aces with Melanie Griffith and Dirk Benedict, Bob Roberts with Tim Robbins, The Purpose with Mia Farrow, and Bar Hopping with Kevin Nealon. Hegyes made his Los Angeles stage debut as `` Chico Marx '' in the Westwood and national touring company engagements of An Evening with Groucho. Upon returning from the tour, Hegyes was cast by producer Barney Rosenzweig to star as a series regular portraying undercover detective `` Manny Esposito '' in Cagney & Lacey. During this time he also appeared on the game show Pyramid from time to time. Hegyes became `` Artist - In - Residence '' at his alma mater, Rowan University, teaching screenplay writing, acting for camera and public speaking, and was a guest lecturer in the Radio / Television / Film & Theater Departments. He was an adjunct instructor at Brooks College in Long Beach, California, where he taught essay writing and public speaking. Hegyes was a California Certified Secondary Education teacher, but had worked infrequently in recent years. Having returned to live in his home town of Metuchen, New Jersey in 2009, Hegyes made his last public appearance in early January, 2012, reprising his `` An Evening With Groucho '' role as Chico Marx, this time in three performances of `` The Marx Brothers : Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel, '' a staged radio play re-creating several episodes of the early - 1930s broadcasts. Personal life Hegyes was married to Mary Kunes ( 1973 -- 1977 ). He then married Kyle Drummer ( 1979 - 1984 ). With his third wife Lynn O'Hare ( 1987 -- 1993 ), he had two children, Cassondra ( Cassie ) ( born 1987 ) and Mac ( born 1991 ). Hegyes was in a long - term relationship with Cynthia Wylie ( 1994 -- 2007 ) ; who brought two children to the relationship, Alex ( born 1988 ) and Sophia ( born 1991 ) He was the cousin of rock singer Jon Bon Jovi and opera singer Mario Lanza. Death On January 26, 2012, after suffering from chest pains at his home in Metuchen, New Jersey, Hegyes died from an apparent heart attack at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He was 60 years old. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes Ref 1981 Underground Aces Tico Directed by Robert Butler Television Year Title Role Notes Ref 1975 -- 1979 Welcome Back, Kotter Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein Contract role The Streets of San Francisco Richard `` Richie '' Martino Episode : `` School of Fear '' ( S 4 : Ep 5 ) 1976 Tattletales Himself Episode : `` March 15, 1976 '' ( S 3 : Ep 29 ) Match Game ' 76 Himself Episode : `` MG76 - 31 '' ( S 4 : Ep 31 ) Cos Himself Episode : `` Night Club / Bay City Rollers '' ( S 1 : Ep 5 ) The $20,000 Pyramid Himself Episodes : `` Rita Moreno & Robert Hegyes '' ( S 4 : Ep 39 -- 44 ) `` Anita Gillette & Robert Hegyes '' S 4 : Ep 50 -- 55 ) 1977 The Brady Bunch Hour Himself Episode : `` Episode 6 '' ( S 1 : Ep 7 ) The $20,000 Pyramid Himself Episodes : `` Kate Jackson & Robert Hegyes '' ( S 5 : Ep 39 -- 44 ) `` Loretta Swit & Robert Hegyes '' ( S 5 : Ep 48 -- 53 ) The Love Boat Danny Episode : `` The Joker is Mild / First Time Out / Take My Granddaughter, Please : ( S 1 : Ep 6 ) 1978 Chico and the Man Zoltan Episode : `` Raul Runs Away, part 2 '' ( S 4 : Ep 14 ) 1981 Lewis & Clark Georgie Episode : `` The Uptight End '' ( S 1 : Ep 5 ) CHiPs Sweets Episode : `` Fox Trap '' ( S 6 : Ep 16 ) 1986 -- 1988 Cagney & Lacey Detective Manny Esposito Contract role The $25,000 Pyramid Himself Episode : `` Anne - Marie Johnson & Robert Hegyes '' Mr. Rhodes Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein Episode : `` The Welcome Back Show '' ( S 1 : Ep15 ) 1998 The Drew Carey Show Himself Episode : `` What 's Wrong with This Episode ? '' ( S 3 : Ep 22 ) Diagnosis Murder Mr. Wolf Episode : `` Murder x 4 '' ( S 6 `` Ep 10 ) Newsradio Sal ( Credited as Al ) Episode : `` Who 's the Boss ? Pt 2 '' ( S 4 : Ep13 ) 1999 L.A. Heat Joe Goldfield Episode : `` Rap Sheet '' ( S 1 : Ep 10 ) Black Scorpion Speedbump Epispde : `` Home Sweet Homeless '' ( S 1 : Ep 4 ) Living in TV Land Himself Episode : `` Dick Van Patten '' ( S 1 : Ep 1 ) 2007 TV Land Confidential Himself Episode : `` Oddballs and Original Characters '' ( S 2 : Ep 1 ) The Singing Bee Himself Episode : `` Episode 117 '' ( S 1 : Ep 17 ) References Jump up ^ `` ' Welcome Back, Kotter ' star Robert Hegyes dies at 60 ''. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2014. Jump up ^ About Robert Hegyes Archived 2007 - 10 - 17 at the Wayback Machine., Cinema Without Borders. Accessed September 30, 2007. Jump up ^ Video on YouTube Jump up ^ `` Robert Hegyes of ' Welcome Back, Kotter ' dies at 60 '' `` Huliq '', 26 Jan 2012 ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` ' Welcome Back, Kotter ' Star Robert Hegyes Dies at 60 '' `` Reuters '', 27 Jan 2012 ( 2 ) Jump up ^ `` Letter from Robert Hegyes 2000 '' Jump up ^ `` Robert Hegyes bio '' IMDB Jump up ^ Kenneally, Tim ( 2011 - 04 - 20 ). `` ' Welcome Back Kotter ' star Robert Hegyes dies at 60 - Yahoo ! TV ''. Tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012 - 01 - 28. External links Biography portal New Jersey portal Film portal Television portal Theatre portal Robert Hegyes on IMDb findagrave.com ISNI : 0000 0004 0955 1896 VIAF : 303467786 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Hegyes&oldid=848145805 '' Categories : 1951 births 2012 deaths Male actors from New Jersey American male film actors American people of Hungarian descent American people of Italian descent American male television actors People from Metuchen, New Jersey People from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Rowan University alumni American male stage actors 20th - century American male actors Male actors of Italian descent Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017 Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Simple English Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 30 June 2018, at 01 : 51 ( UTC ). 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Question: who played juan epstein in welcome back kotter
Answer: Robert Hegyes