LOS ANGELES -- Sam Melville, a veteran actor who starred as a tough cop in the TV series 'The Rookies,' has died, a spokeswoman said Friday. He was 52.
Melville, who began his career in the late 1960s and was often cast as the good-looking tough guy, collapsed at his Hollywood Hills home early Thursday and died of massive heart failure, family spokeswoman Susan Patricola said.
'Only a few months ago doctors told him he had the heart of a 23-year-old,' Patricola said.
Melville, born in Provo, Utah, was a regular on television's 'Gunsmoke,' and starred in the movies 'Thomas Crown Affair' and 'Big Wednesday.'
From 1984-87 he co-starred in the CBS series 'The Scarecrow and Mrs. King,' portraying actress Kate Jackson's ex-husband.
'Sam was more than a wonderful actor, he was a friend, not just to me but to many people, who think of him as family. He'll be sorely missed,' Jackson said. 'He had a magic and I don't know who I'd be if he hadn't been in my life.'
His work in television also included a four-year stint as Officer Mike Danko in 1970s on 'The Rookies,' and a starring role in the late 1970s in the 'Roughnecks' miniseries.
Recently, Melville had completed production on two feature films, 'Fists of Steel' and 'Assassination With Cause.'
Although he was known as an actor, Melville derived his greatest satisfaction from playing the bass guitar along with his wife, Annie, in a band called Alias, which performed at local clubs, Patricola said.
'He was extremely talented and very handsome, but he was also one of the most sensitive human beings you would ever meet. He enjoyed acting but his real passions were for painting and music,' she said.
A memorial service was scheduled for March 15 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Burbank, Calif.
