Sad news today, as it’s been announced that Jon Cypher, the actor best known for playing Man-at-Arms in Masters of the Universe and Chief of Police Fletcher Daniels in Hill Street Blues, has died at the age of 94. He passed away on August 3 at his home in Twin Creeks, Oregon, with his wife of 40 years, Carol Rosin, by his side.
Cypher enjoyed a lengthy career on the small screen, with appearances in episodes of Mission: Impossible, Bonanza, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, Knots Landing, Knight Rider, Dynasty, Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order, JAG, Walker, Texas Ranger, Batman Beyond, and more. For a solid three decades, Cypher could be found on just about every popular television show.
He’s also known for starring as Prince Charming alongside Julie Andrews in the original 1957 television musical Cinderella, written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. He also starred in several seasons of Major Dad as General Craig.
As for the big screen, Cypher made his feature-film debut in Valdez Is Coming alongside Burt Lancaster and Susan Clark. He can also be seen in Lady Ice, The Food of the Gods, Spontaneous Combustion, Strictly Business, and more.
In a 2014 interview, Cypher said, “[Acting is] not an easy profession. You’re always being judged, by critics, by the audience. I’d say to any young actor who is thinking about entering the fray, ‘Gird your loins very sturdily and have a sharp sword,’ because you have to pick yourself up many, many, many times.“
He also sang opera in four languages, with his family saying he “was known to burst out in song, bringing joy to every event.“
Although Cypher wasn’t very familiar with the Masters of the Universe cartoon, he enjoyed making the film, despite also shooting the final season of Hill Street Blues at the same time.
“It was for me a very difficult shoot because we did a lot of night shooting at a distance from LA (I think we were shooting a lot in Whittier, the town where President Nixon had lived) and I was also doing the last season of Hill Street Blues (seven seasons as Chief of Police Daniels) at the time during many shooting days,” he said in a 2014 interview. “That was a killer. It meant working all night and then racing back to LA to work all day. But, hey, where else do you get to be the second greatest swordfighter in the Universe??? even though, damn it, I never got to draw my sword.“
A long career with some fantastic roles, he will be missed. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Cypher’s family and friends.