Alan Rachins, best known for his role as Douglas Brackman, Jr. on NBC’s L.A. Law, has passed away at age 82, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Emmy-nominated actor died in his sleep from heart failure on Nov. 2 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his wife, actress Joanna Frank, told the outlet. The two met in an acting class and tied the knot in 1978, later working together on L.A. Law and the 1985 film Always.

Born on Oct. 3, 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Rachins was raised in Boston and went to the Wharton School at Penn for two years before moving to New York to try his hand at acting. After studying with Warren Roberston and Kim Stanley, he made his Broadway debut in 1967 in After the Rain. In 1969, Rachins did the musical revue Oh! Calcutta for 18 months at the Eden Theater, sans clothes. In 1972, the late actor shifted his focus to writing and directing, and was accepted into programs for both at AFI in Los Angeles. He later wrote for shows such as Hill Street Blues, Hart to Hart, and The Fall Guy and even directed an episode of Paris.