Alan Rachins, ‘L.A. Law’ and ‘Dharma & Greg’ Actor, Dies at 82

Alan Rachins, who delighted TV watchers by playing two very different kinds of histrionic middle-aged men in two hit shows, “L.A. Law” and “Dharma & Greg,” died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 82.

The death, at a hospital, was caused by heart failure, his family said.

After spending decades trying to break through as an actor, Mr. Rachins (pronounced RAY-chins) became widely recognizable for his roles on the two shows. Each character, an officious lawyer and an aging hippie, was acerbic and eccentric, but in extremely different ways.

Mr. Rachins first came to public attention by appearing on nearly every episode of “L.A. Law,” which ran on NBC for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1994.

The show was created by Terry Louise Fisher and Steven Bochco, who a few years earlier had helped create “Hill Street Blues,” a critically acclaimed police drama. “L.A. Law” used a similar formula: It mixed drama and comedy, employed an ensemble cast and was generally credited as being more realistic and daring than the average show.

“L.A. Law” was popular enough that several lawyers at the time worried how recent episodes would affect juries’ behavior. In 1990, one lawyer told The New York Times, “Any lawyer who doesn’t watch ‘L.A. Law’ the night before he’s going to trial is a fool.”

The show concerned a law firm called McKenzie, Brackman. Mr. Rachins played Douglas Brackman Jr., a senior partner whose father had helped found the firm. He was eloquent, mercenary and obnoxious — traits that set up the character for frequent humiliations.