Donnelly Rhodes Passes On

Donnelly Rhodes, a Canadian actor who played Dutch Leitner on the sitcom Soap and Detective Leo Shannon on Da Vinci's Inquest as well as made numerous guest appearances on other shows over the years, died on January 8 at the age of 80. The cause was cancer.

Donnelly Rhodes was born on December 4 1937 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he did his first acting. Mr. Rhodes studied at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and the National Theatre School. He made his film debut in a bit part in the movie Reprisal! (1956). In the late Fifties he also appeared in the film The 27th Day (1957).  He made his television debut in an episode of Man with a Camera. He guest starred Maverick, Cheyenne, Bonanza, and Two Faces West.

In the Sixties Donnelly Rhodes guest starred on such shows as Tallahassee 7000, Mister Ed, Hazel, Wagon Train, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Dr. Kildare, Convoy, The Virginian, Laredo, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Mannix, Tarzan, Ironside, The Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, Insight, and Here Come the Brides. He appeared in the film Gunfight in Abilene (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and Change of Mind (1969). 

In the Seventies Donnelly Rhodes starred on the Canadian police drama Sidestreet and was a regular on the hit American sitcom Soap. He guest starred on such shows as O'Hara, U.S. Treasury; Mission: Impossible; The Starlost; Police Story; Switch; Wonder Woman; and The Littlest Hobo.  He appeared in the films The Neptune Factor (1973), The Hard Part Begins (1973), Goldenrod (1976), and Oh Heavenly Dog (1980).

In the Eighties Donnelly Rhodes starred on the American sitcom Double Trouble and the Canadian adventure series Danger Bay, and was a regular on the American sitcom Report to Murphy. He guest starred on such shows as It's a Living, Cheers, Taxi, Hill Street Blues, Amanda's, Alice, The Hitchhiker, The Golden Girls, Airwolf, and Empty Nest.

In the Nineties Mr. Rhodes began his run as Detective Shannon on Da Vinci's Inquest. He was a regular on the show The Heights and Street Legal. He guest starred on such shows as Murder, She Wrote; Profit; Sliders; The X-Files; The Sentinel; and Call of the Wild. He appeared in the films Showdown at Williams Creek (1991) and Urban Safari (1996).

In the Naughts Donnelly Rhodes continued to appear on Da Vinci's Inquest. He was a regular on Battlestar Galactica (2004) and Always a Bridesmaid. He guest starred on such shows as The Chris Isaak Show, The Dead Zone, Psych, Smallville, and Human Target. He appeared in the films Snow Dogs (2001), Pressure (2002), Damage (2009), Ramona and Beezus (2010), Hunt to Kill (2010), Tron: Legacy (2010). In the Teens he guest starred on such shows as Heartland, Supernatural, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow. He appeared in the film Barricade (2012).

Donnelly Rhodes truly was a great character actor. And while many character actors play a specific sort of role, Mr. Rhodes played a wide variety of roles. He could be anything from escaped convict Dutch Leitner to veterinarian Doc Cottle. Over the years he played military officers, police officers, outlaws, fathers, judges, and many more sorts of roles. He truly was very versatile.