Magnum PI star John Hillerman who played posh British butler Higgins alongside Tom Selleck dead at 84
John Hillerman first caught the acting bug in the army before he plied his trade on the New York stage and made his TV breakthrough
MAGNUM PI star John Hillerman has died at the age of 84.
He played clean-cut butler Jonathan Higgins in the hit 80s show opposite Tom Selleck's freewheeling detective Thomas Magnum.
John passed away at his home in Houston, Texas yesterday, his nephew Chris Tritico said.
Paying tribute, Chris added: "He had an outstanding sense of humour and was one of the most well-read people I ever met. You couldn’t play Scrabble with him."
John first cut his teeth as an actor while serving in the US Air Force working in maintenance, where he reached the rank of sergeant.
He joined a barracks theatre group and after he was discharged in 1957, he moved to New York to study and perform.
Appearing in dozens of stage shows over the following decade, John moved to Hollywood in 1969 in search of a breakthrough role.
He was cast in several films before landing the part of ex-British Army Sergeant Major Higgins, a snooty butler who acted as a perfect foil to flash Magnum.
His English accent was convincing enough to lead many fans to beleive he was British, but John had actually trained himself by listening to recordings of Lawrence Olivier and reciting Hamlet.
John's nephew Chris said: "He was a good man who loved his family, acting and reading. Our family will miss him."
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