Robert Hogan, a prolific American supporting actor, has been a reliable presence in numerous classic prime-time TV shows for over half a century. Born into a family of three siblings, Hogan's early life was marked by his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
After his demobilization, Hogan pursued higher education, studying engineering at New York University. However, an aptitude test suggested a more humanistic career path, prompting him to enroll at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts instead.
Hogan made his theatrical debut off-Broadway in 1961, and shortly after, he relocated to Los Angeles to establish a solid career in episodic television. He frequently played no-nonsense authority figures, military middle-echelon, or police officers.
One of his earliest notable recurring roles was as Reverend Tom Winter in the popular soap opera Peyton Place, which premiered in 1964. Hogan's performance as Police Sergeant Ted Coppersmith in The Rockford Files in 1974 led to several follow-up appearances in the short-lived spin-off series Richie Brockelman, Private Eye in 1978.
Throughout his career, Hogan played a diverse range of characters in TV shows such as The F.B.I. in 1965, Barnaby Jones in 1973, Murder, She Wrote in 1984, and Law & Order in 1990.
For his outstanding performance as the shrewd defense attorney Clarence Darrow in the off-Broadway play Never the Sinner, based on the Leopold & Loeb murder trial of 1924, Hogan received the Outer Critics Circle Award.
In 2013, Hogan was diagnosed with vascular Alzheimer's disease, but he continued to make sporadic TV appearances for another five years. He was married to the author Mary Barbera-Hogan.
