Rif Hutton, “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and “General Hospital” actor, dies at 73
Rif Hutton, “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and “General Hospital” actor, dies at 73
Mekishana PierreTue, April 21, 2026 at 5:27 PM UTC
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Rif Hutton on 'General Hospital'Credit: Nick Argo/ABC via GettyKey Points -
Rif Hutton, a veteran character and voice actor, has died. He was 73.
Hutton's filmography boasts nearly 200 TV credits, including roles on Doogie Howser, M.D., JAG, and General Hospital.
Hutton died Saturday at his home in Pasadena after a year-long battle with glioblastoma, his wife, Bridget Hoffman, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Rif Hutton, a veteran character actor whose prolific work included roles on iconic shows such as Doogie Howser, M.D., JAG, and General Hospital, has died. He was 73.
Hutton died Saturday at his home in Pasadena after a year-long battle with glioblastoma, his wife, Bridget Hoffman, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The tragic news was also announced on Facebook in a tribute to the actor by friend and voice-over colleague Steve Apostolina.
"A remarkable human being has left this earthly plane," Apostolina wrote. "To say that Rif Hutton was one of a kind is a gross understatement. There will never be another like him — perhaps his son Wolfy will come closest. Loving father and husband, generous, wryly funny, incredibly bright and the hardest working person I’ve ever known (I think my dad was the only one who came close)."
Rif Hutton during SAG-AFTRA strike outside Warner Bros. on July 26, 2023Credit: Robin Marshall/Shutterstock
He continued, "I worked in the voice over community with him for over 30 years but I really got to know him well when I directed him in one of my early plays. And while I knew him and spent a fair amount of time with him, he’d rarely talk about himself, because he was a humble man... In our voice-over/looping community he was legend. As comfortable as a team leader as he was a team player. People knew when they hired him for a voice job that he was going to be the most prepared - he always was. He was also always first to show up on a gig - I had the great pleasure of beating him a few times and scooping a treasured chair, but those were few and far between."
Apostolina concluded his heartfelt tribute, "Rif Hutton was a man of action. He inspired so many and leaves behind a legion of loyal admirers - people who loved him. Stories of his generosity would blow your mind. F--- cancer in general, but in particular glioblastoma. I was lucky to cross his path and I am a better person for knowing him."
Born Walter Hutton in San Antonio on Nov. 28, 1952, the actor moved out to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career after graduating from Seton Hall University and serving in the U.S. Navy.
Hutton's filmography boasts nearly 200 TV credits, including guest appearances on shows including The Jeffersons, Remington Steele, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, 227, Night Court, A Different World, Knots Landing, Full House, Married…With Children, Wings, Murphy Brown, The Larry Sanders Show, Sister, Sister, Home Improvement, Family Matters, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Seinfeld, American Horror Story, Grace and Frankie and NCIS: Los Angeles.
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He had longer runs on series such as Doogie Howser, M.D. (17 episodes from 1989-93), 15 episodes of JAG (1997-2001) and, in 2021 and 2022, 32 episodes of the daytime soap General Hospital.
Hutton first appeared on General Hospital in 1995, when he took over the role of Mary Mae Ward's son David from Ron Canada. He returned to the daytime drama more than a quarter century later as Lenny Caulfield, the Nixon Falls denizen who along with wife Phyllis befriended an amnesiac Sonny. The actor popped up on The Bold and the Beautiful as three different minor characters in the '80s and '90s: Drs. Sloan and Harrison and Stan Beckworth.
Rif Hutton in 'Rattled!'Credit: Vertical Entertainment / Courtesy Everett
He also did nearly 100 episodes of Tribes, a short-lived syndicated soap that marked the first daytime drama for Michelle Stafford (Phyllis, Young & Restless).
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Hutton also had roles in such films as the Richard Pryor-starring Moving (1988), L.A. Heat (1989), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), the 2022 crime comedy Rattled! and, in 2016, Ice Age: Collision Course.
In March 2025, Hutton learned about his brain tumor and wrote, "Every person facing Glioblastoma, or any brain disorder, deserves this kind of support--to be surrounded by encouragement, by prayer, and by stalwart champions of hope and light."
He added, per Deadline, "There continues to be meaningful advancements in the fight against [Glioblastoma], and that fight needs all of us. Please support it in whatever way you can."
Hutton is survived by his wife and son Wolfgang.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
