Wanderers (1979). In addition to film roles, he also had guest starring roles on Little House on the Prairie and Mrs. Columbo. He had a notable role as FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in the 1978 television miniseries King, based on the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. As the 1980s began, Sweet worked steadily in such films as Below the Belt (1980) and Reds (1981), the made-for-television movie Gideon's Trumpet (1980), and television series like Hill Street Blues and Hart to Hart. In addition to his numerous guest roles on episodes of various television series, Sweet had a recurring role, as a policeman, in the single 1965–66 season of the legal drama/comedy The Trials of O'Brien. He was well known for his recurring role as policeman Gil McGowan, third husband of Ada Davis (later Hobson), on the soap opera Another World (1972–1977). In keeping with his cop roles, Sweet also voiced the character of Manhattan Subway Transit Police Captain Costello in the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Sweet's best known television character was his series co-lead role as police chief and father Carl Kanisky, who was constantly at odds with housekeeper Nell Carter, on the sitcom Gimme a Break!. Sweet appeared in this role from 1981 until his death. Sweet was diagnosed with cancer during the series' fourth season, but he continued to work. The final episode of the fourth season aired on May 11, 1985, three days after he died, and just a few hours after his funeral. Personal life Sweet married Reba Gillespie while pursuing his master's degree after World War II. The couple had a son together, Jonathon (born ), before they divorced in 1973. In 1974, Sweet married Iris Braun. Sweet died from stomach cancer at Tarzana Hospital in Tarzana, California, on May 8, 1985, survived by his wife and son. His Gimme a Break! co-star, Nell Carter, gave the eulogy at his funeral on May 11, and recorded a short eulogy to air that same night, at the start of the show's final episode for the season. Sweet's remains were cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea. Filmography References External links 1920 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors American prisoners of war in World War II Columbia Graduate School of Arts and