Richard Hatch, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Star, Dead at 71 After Battle with Cancer

Actor Richard Hatch, who starred in the original Battlestar Galactica movie and the TV series, died on Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 71.

Hatch played space fighter pilot Captain Apollo in the original series, which aired from 1978-1979. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a television drama series for that role. The show was canceled after one season.

He portrayed a different character, Tom Zarek, in the 2004-2009 re-imagined series. It was a recurring role in which he played a terrorist turned politician.

Hatch also worked steadily on popular TV series including Dynasty, The Love Boat and Baywatch.

Variety reports that Hatch also wrote five original Battlestar novels and became a popular fixture at comic book and sci-fi events.