Doug Sheehan Dies: ‘General Hospital’, ‘Knots Landing’ Actor Was 75
The actor Doug Sheehan, known for his role in the breakout film Joe Kelly on General Hospital as well as his role in the role of Ben Gibson on Knot’s Landing and many more has passed away.
By Denise Petski
Jul 08, 2024 11:27 PM
Doug Sheehan , an actor known for his breakout role as Joe Kelly on General Hospital and as Ben Gibson on Knots Landing , among many other credits, has died. Sheehan “passed away peacefully” June 29 at his home in Big Horn, Wyoming, with his wife his side, according to a Kane Funeral Home announcement. He was 75. A cause of death was not revealed.
Born on the 27th of April 1949, from Santa Monica, Sheehan’s first screen appearance came in the 1978 episode from Charlie’s Angels. He then joined the the daytime soap General Hospital as a regular on the show in his first big role, appearing in 205 episodes playing lawyer Joe Kelly from 1979-82. He received a supporting actress Daytime Emmy nomination for his role.
He transitioned to General Hospital to the character as journalist Ben Gibson on Knots Landing,appearing in 115 episodes between 1983 and 1988.
He also appeared as Brian Harper on comedy series Day by Day, created by Andy Borowitz and Gary David Goldberg that ran for two seasons on NBC from 1988 to 1989. The show focused on Brian (Sheehan) as well as Kate Harper (Linda Kelsey) who are a couple married with two careers that have been successful (both as stockbrokers and lawyers) Brian being a successful stockbroker and Kate being a lawyerand their teen son, Ross (Christopher Daniel Barnes). He also played Mel Horowitz, Cher’s father on the 1990s UPN comedy Clueless which was inspired by the film in which he took the role of Michael Lerner after the first season.
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Other television assignments include shows like Cheers Columbo, MacGyver, Diagnosis Murder and others. His last screen appearances took place in 2003, playing the character of Sabrina’s (Melissa Joan Hart) father Edward Gibson in Sabrina the Teenage Witchand in the role of a guest as Edward Gibson in What I like about You.
Sheehan made appearances in three films over the course of his career, including 1979’s 10,starring Bo Derek and Dudley Moore, Victor/Victoria (1982) and, most recently, Cops and Roberts in 1995.
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