Following the news that actor James B. Sikking passed away at the age of 90, Neil Patrick Harris honored his Doogie Howser MD dad in a special social media tribute.
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In the sweet post, Harris stated, “Jim Sikking played my dad in Doogie Howser, MD., and was one of the kindest, wisest, funniest, and most generous people I’ve ever known. A true professional.”
Neil Patrick Harris then wrote about how Sikking had helped him when he was a young actor. “He treated everyone with respect and taught me countless lessons, yet always had a spark of mischief in his eyes. It was an absolute honor to be his son.”
He went on to add, “My condolences to his actual family for their loss.”
Sikking died on Saturday, July 13. The actor’s long-time publicist, Cynthia Snyder, revealed the cause of death was dementia. She noted he also passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family.
“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy, and hilarious farce. His career spanned over six decades in television, film, and on stage,” Snyder said. “His talent, integrity, and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences.”
Along with Doogie Howser MD, Sikking also starred in Hill Street Blues.
Neil Patrick Harris Reflected on ‘Doogie Howser, MD on the Show’s 30th Anniversary
During a 2019 interview with Good Morning America, Neil Patrick Harris reflected on his years on Doogie Howser, MD.
“It gave me an albatross of a nickname and was incredibly hard work,” Harris said, during the show’s 30th anniversary. He said the show taught him a lot as well.
“My life lesson was, I learned good skills of how to act on a set,” he continued. “It wasn’t a sitcom with a bunch of laughing audience members.”
He went on to add that the cast worked very hard to make the show’s creator, Steven Bochco proud. “I learned a lot of [medical] dialogue and [even] how to suture. How to hit marks, and regurgitate dialogue. That was sort of my film education.”
Doogie Howser, MD aired from 1989 to 1993. According to IMDb, the show follows a teenage genius who deals with the usual problems of growing up while being a licensed physician in a difficult residency program.
Along with Neil Patrick Harris and James B. Sikking, others who starred in the show were Max Casella, Belinda Montgomery, Lawrence Pressman, Kathryn Layng, and Markus Redmon.