Richard Hatch, who starred in ‘Battlestar Galactica’, dies at 71

Richard Hatch, a veteran actor known for his portrayal of Captain Apollo, the hotshot pilot on the 1970s science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica and a political leader in a reboot of the series more than two decades later, died on Tuesday. He was 71.

His death was confirmed by his son, Paul, who said in a statement that Hatch had pancreatic cancer and died in Los Angeles.

Ronald D. Moore, a writer and producer of the second Battlestar Galactica series, said on Twitter that Hatch was "a good man, a gracious man, and a consummate professional" and called his death "a heavy blow to the entire BSG family." Hatch played Captain Apollo, a fighter pilot who was regularly featured with his best friend, Lieutenant Starbuck, played by Dirk Benedict.

The original series, which ran from 1978 to 1979, told the story of humans fighting for survival against warrior robots called Cylons.

In a reboot of the series, which started in 2004 and ran for five seasons, he played the charismatic political leader Tom Zarek.

Hatch was nominated in 1979 for a Golden Globe Award for best actor in a television drama series. He appeared on several other television series in the 1970s, including All My Children (playing Philip Brent) and The Streets of San Francisco (playing Inspector Dan Robbins when Michael Douglas left the series in its fifth and final season). He also appeared in Dynasty, The Love Boat, and Baywatch.

Richard L. Hatch was born May 21st, 1945, in Santa Monica, California. He began his career in off-Broadway theater before landing the role on All My Children.

Hatch recalled having no aspiration to become an actor, according to his website. He was curious about the actors he saw in high school plays but harbored dreams of competing in the Olympics as a pole-vaulter.

“I never thought of being an actor,” he said. “I was far too shy, too insecure.”

In a peculiar twist, it was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 that helped Hatch find his way into acting. Hatch said he was going “nowhere” in college and enrolled in an oral interpretation class when a required English course was booked. “It turned out to be my worst nightmare because I had to get up in front of people and read,” he said, according to his website.

“I found myself flunking the course because I would choke up. I could hardly open my mouth.” Halfway through the course, Kennedy was assassinated, an event that profoundly affected Hatch. He found an article about the president and took it to class for an assignment. Standing in front of his classmates, he suddenly found his voice. “It was a major turning point in my life,” he said. “As I began to read this article, I got so affected by what I was saying that I forgot myself. I was expressing feelings and emotions I tended to keep locked inside of myself.” – (New York Times Service)