Canadian television actor Donnelly Rhodes dies at age 80

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MAPLE RIDGE, B.C. — Actor Donnelly Rhodes, best-known in Canada for his roles in “Sidestreet” and “Da Vinci’s Inquest,” died Monday of cancer. He was 80.

A news release from the talent agency Northern Exposure says Rhodes died at the Baillie House Hospice in Maple Ridge, B.C.

The Winnipeg-born actor received numerous accolades, including a Gemini award for his leading role in the drama “Da Vinci’s Inquest” in 2002 and a Gemini Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.

Rhodes was also recognized by the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame with a star on Granville Street’s Star Walk in Vancouver.

Rhodes, who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as an airman-mechanic before settling into his career as an actor, was also known in the U.S. for his role as the dim-witted escaped con Dutch in the ABC soap opera spoof “Soap.”

He studied at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and was a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963.

He made his professional debut on stage at Stratford Theatre as Stanley Kowalski in “Streetcar Named Desire” before he became a contract player for Universal Pictures in the U.S., where he landed television roles on “Bonanza,” “The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,” “Cheers,” “Golden Girls” and “The Young and the Restless.”

Rhodes is survived by his wife, Sarah, his daughter and his son.