Henry Donnelly Rhodes (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018) was a Canadian actor, known professionally as Donnelly Rhodes. He had many American television and film credits, probably best known to American audiences as the hapless escaped convict Dutch Leitner on the soap opera spoof ''
Soap
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...
'' and as Phillip Chancellor II on ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
''. Rhodes was well-known to Canadian audiences as Sgt. Nick Raitt in the CBC TV series ''
Sidestreet
''Sidestreet'' is a Canadian television drama, which aired Sundays on CBC from 1975 to 1978. It stars Sean McCann and Donnelly Rhodes as police working in Toronto.
Background
''Sidestreet'' succeeded '' The Collaborators'' as the CBC's main ser ...
'' (1975–1978) and as Grant "Doc" Roberts in another CBC TV series, ''
Danger Bay
''Danger Bay'' is a Canadian television series, produced in Vancouver, with first-run episodes broadcast on CBC Television in Canada and The Disney Channel in the United States premiering October 8, 1984. Reruns of the show continued on The Disney ...
'' (1984–1990). He also starred as
Doctor Cottle ("Doc") on ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'' (2004–2009).
Life and career
Rhodes was born in 1937, although some sources say 1936, and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was a graduate of the
National Theatre School of Canada
The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants ...
.
A large portion of Rhodes' career consists of guest-starring roles in American television. He appeared twice on ''
Laredo'': in 1965, he played Bob Jamison in ''Rendezvous at Arillo'' and played a lead role in "The Trap", an episode on ''
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...
''. The next year, Rhodes was cast in ''The Would-Be Gentleman of Laredo'' as Don Carlos.
In 1966, Rhodes appeared as Red Eagle in the episode "Pariah" of the Universal Television series ''The Road West.'' The same year, he guest-starred on ''
Dundee and the Culhane
''Dundee and the Culhane'' is an American Western drama series starring John Mills and Sean Garrison that aired on CBS from September 6 to December 13, 1967.
Synopsis
''Dundee and the Culhane'' follows the exploits of two frontier lawyers who pro ...
''. He appeared in three episodes of the original ''
Mission: Impossible'' (1966-1973 TV series), in the Season 3 episode, "The Freeze" (1968), in the Season 4 episode, "Mastermind" (1969), and in the Season 7 episode, "Ultimatum" (1972). He also played the main card player, Macon, who threatens the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) in the opening scene of ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...
'' (1969).
In 1973, Rhodes co-starred in an episode of the sci-fi drama ''
The Starlost
''The Starlost'' is a Canadian-produced science fiction television series created by writer Harlan Ellison and broadcast in 1973 on CTV in Canada and syndicated to local stations in the United States. The show's setting is a huge generational ...
'' (episode 12, 'The Implant People'). He played
Phillip Chancellor II
A list of notable characters from the CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'' that significantly impacted storylines and debuted between March 1973 and December 1979.
Brad Elliot
Brad Elliot first appeared on March 26, 1973, and was port ...
in ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
'' from 1974 to 1975, and from 1978 to 1981, he played escaped convict Dutch Leitner on ''
Soap
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...
''.
In 1980, Rhodes played a priest in the miniseries ''
The Chisholms
''The Chisholms'' is a CBS western miniseries starring Robert Preston, which aired from March 29, 1979, to April 19, 1979; and continued as a television series from January 19, 1980, to March 15, 1980.Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', New York: ...
''. In 1982, he played Leo, a bar patron on ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
''. In 1983 he appeared as Wilson Arthur MacLeish on ''Magnum P.I.'' on the episode "Of Sound Mind". In 1984, he had a supporting role as the beleaguered father in the short-lived TV series ''
Double Trouble'' and appeared as
Arland D. Williams Jr. in the television movie ''
Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac''. From 1985 to 1990, he played Dr. Grant Roberts in the series ''
Danger Bay
''Danger Bay'' is a Canadian television series, produced in Vancouver, with first-run episodes broadcast on CBC Television in Canada and The Disney Channel in the United States premiering October 8, 1984. Reruns of the show continued on The Disney ...
''. In 1987, he made a guest appearance on ''
The Golden Girls
''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...
'' as Jake Smollens, a handsome, rough-around-the-edges caterer.
In 1988, Rhodes guest-starred on ''
Empty Nest
''Empty Nest'' is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from October 8, 1988, to April 29, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin-off of ''The Golden Girls'' by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Ri ...
'' as Leonard, an old friend of the main character. In 1991 he played the "Prodigal Father" in an episode of ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''. He starred as ruthless corporate lawyer R.J. Williams during the 1991-92 season of the drama ''
Street Legal''. In 1993, Rhodes played Jim Parker in "
Shapes
A shape or figure is a graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material type.
A plane shape or plane figure is constrained to lie on ...
" (Season 1, episode 19) of ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
''.
For seven years (1998-2005), he played the role of Detective Leo Shannon on the acclaimed CBC television series, ''
Da Vinci's Inquest
''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...
''.
Rhodes played the character Milash in an episode of ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'' in 2008. On the revived ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'' (2004–2009), Rhodes played Chief Medical Officer Sherman Cottle who smoked cigarettes in most scenes. Most recently Rhodes played Mr. Decker, Rufus Decker's father, in the two seasons of ''
The Romeo Section
''The Romeo Section'' is a Canadian spy thriller television series created and written by Chris Haddock which debuted on October 14, 2015, on CBC Television. CBC renewed the series for a second season which began airing on October 5, 2016. The ...
'' on CBC in 2015-2016.
Rhodes' film appearances were fewer, including roles in ''
Gunfight in Abilene
''Gunfight in Abilene'' is a 1967 American Western film starring Bobby Darin in a non-singing role. It is the second film based on the short story "Gun Shy" by Clarence Upson Young, the first being ''Showdown at Abilene'' (1956), starring Jock ...
'' (1967), ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...
'' (1969), ''
Change of Mind
''Change of Mind'' is a 1969 science fiction/drama film starring Raymond St. Jacques, Susan Oliver, Janet MacLachlan, and Leslie Nielsen.
Plot
A married couple struggles to adjust when the husband, dying of cancer, has his brain transplanted ...
'' (1969), ''
The Neptune Factor'' (1973), ''
Goldenrod
Goldenrod is a common name for many species of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, commonly in reference to the genus '' Solidago''.
Several genera, such as '' Euthamia'', were formerly included in a broader concept of the gen ...
'' (1976), ''
Oh! Heavenly Dog
''Oh! Heavenly Dog'' is a 1980 American fantasy comedy film written by Rod Browning and stars Benjean, billed here as Benji (she was the daughter of Higgins (dog), Higgins, who originated the role of Benji), Chevy Chase, Jane Seymour (actress), J ...
'' (1980), ''
Urban Safari
''Urban Safari'' is a 1996 Swiss comedy film directed by Reto Salimbeni and starring David Naughton
David Walsh Naughton (born February 13, 1951) is an American actor and singer known for his starring roles in the horror film '' An American Wer ...
'' (1995), and ''
Tron: Legacy'' (2010).
In February 2009, the Union of British Columbia Performers honoured Rhodes with the Sam Payne Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Radio work
Rhodes provided the voice of the US president at the start of each episode of the
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...
space opera/comedy series ''
Canadia: 2056''.
Death
Rhodes died of cancer at the Baillie House Hospice in Maple Ridge, British Columbia at the age of 80.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Donnelly
1937 births
2018 deaths
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Deaths from cancer in British Columbia
National Theatre School of Canada alumni
Male actors from Winnipeg
Best Actor in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners
20th-century Canadian male actors
21st-century Canadian male actors