William Boyett
William Boyett (January 3, 1927 – December 29, 2004) was an American actor best known for his roles in law enforcement dramas on television from the 1950s through the 1990s. Early years. Boyett was born in Akron, Ohio, and lived there until the 1940s, when he moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. He won a Shakespeare competition in high school which led to acting jobs in radio. Military service. Boyett served in the Navy during World War II and afterward performed on the stage in both New York City and Los Angeles. Television. In 1954, Boyett played  respected settler Jim Hardwicke in the "Death Valley Days" episode "11,000 Miners Can't Be Wrong". Boyett was often cast as a law-enforcement officer, most notably as Broderick Crawford's patrol officer on "Highway Patrol", where he appeared in 65 episodes, either as Sgt. Johnson or Sgt. Williams, between 1955 and 1959; Boyett also portrayed a policeman in such diverse series as "Gang Busters"; "The Man Behind the Badge"; "I Led 3 Lives"; "M Squad"; "The Detectives"; "Sea Hunt"; "Bat Masterson"; "Batman"; "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."; and "" Jack Webb, the executive producer of "Adam-12", selected Boyett for the role of  Sgt. "Mac" MacDonald after several performances (such as playing Sgt. Sam Hunter) in both iterations of Webb's "Dragnet". (Boyett can also be seen uncredited as a bailiff in the 1954 movie version.) Boyett appeared as MacDonald on "Adam-12" for its entire 1968–1975 run. He also made eight guest appearances on CBS's "Perry Mason" throughout the series' nine-year run, mostly in law-enforcement roles. In 1962, he played slain police officer Otto Norden in "The Case of the Hateful Hero". The defendant was his rookie partner James Anderson played by Richard Davalos, cousin of series regular Lt. Anderson  played by Wesley Lau. He also played a corporate executive, Buck Osborn, in the 1961 episode "The Case of the Renegade Refugee". In the 1961 "My Three Sons" episode "Fire Watch", he was a forest ranger. Boyett appeared in a number of television programs, such as "Official Detective", "Navy Log", "Laramie", "Tales of the Texas Rangers", "I Spy", "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (uncredited; "The Secret Sceptre Affair" from 1965), "The Andy Griffith Show", "Family Affair", "Fantasy Island", " The Love Boat", "The Rockford Files", "The A-Team", "Gunsmoke", "Knight Rider", "Space Patrol", "Rescue 8", "Whirlybirds", "Ripcord", "Murphy Brown" and "Night Court . He also appeared in numerous episodes of Emergency!" as Chief McConnikee of Los Angeles County Fire Department's Battalion 14. Boyett also occasionally appeared in television commercials. Film. Boyett also acted in several motion pictures, such as "The Hidden" (1987) and "The Rocketeer" (1991). Boyett earned much praise for his highly unusual role in "The Hidden" as a hospital patient named Jonathan P. Miller, possessed by an alien being with a taste for red Ferraris and rock and roll music. He also appeared in a well-known short public safety film entitled "Last Clear Chance" (1959) as Patrolman Hal Jackson . Interest in the film was renewed by its appearance in a 1993 episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Boyett's other small roles as a police officer include the crime dramas "Vice Squad" (1953) with Edward G. Robinson and "Shield For Murder" (1954) with Edmond O'Brien. Death. Boyett died December 29, 2004, in Mission Hills, California, at age 77, of complications from pneumonia and kidney failure. Selected Television. \