William Boyett (1927 - December 29, 2004) was an American actor best known for his work as the low-key but authoritative Sgt. Macdonald on the police drama Adam-12. Adam-12 producer Jack Webb recommended him for the role after his performance in an episode of Webb's Dragnet, and Boyett stayed with the series for its entire 1968-1975 run. Boyett appeared in a number of TV shows, such as Highway Patrol, Perry Mason, Fantasy Island, Star Trek: The Next Generation and The A-Team. He also acted in several motion pictures, such as The Rocketeer (film) (1991) and The Hidden (1987), for which Boyett earned much Sci-Fi fan praise as a hospital patient named Johnathan P. Miller, possessed by an alien being with a taste for red Ferraris and rock and roll music.
Boyett also played Battalion Chief McConike on the 1970s series Emergency!.
Boyett was born in Akron, Ohio and lived there until the 1940s when he moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. He won a Shakespeare competition in high school which led to acting jobs in radio. He served in the Navy during World War II and afterward performed on the stage in New York and Los Angeles.
Boyett died December 29, 2004 in Los Angeles, of complications from pneumonia and kidney failure. He left behind a wife, 2 brothers, a son and daughter, and 2 granddaughters. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=2753096
Served in the Pacific with the US Navy during World War Two.
After university and service in the military, he was in various stage productions in New York City and Los Angeles before he started working in television and movies.
Started acting on radio after winning a high school Shakespearean competition.
Attended the University of Southern California.
Born in Ohio, he was raised in Waco, Texas, before his family moved to Los Angeles in the early 1940s.
Children: Suzy and Kevin.
