Pat Harrington Jr., best known for playing scene-stealing superintendent Dwayne Schneider on CBS sitcom One Day at a Time, has died at age 86. The actor had been battling Alzheimers and was recently hospitalized following a fall, The Hollywood Reporterreports, and passed away Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Dear friends, it is with the most unimaginable pain and sadness, that I tell you my father,Pat Harrington, Jr.passed away at 11:09 PM this evening, his daughter Tresa Harrington wrote Wednesday in a Facebook post. We were all with him today and tonight: crying, laughing and loving him.
Harrington Jr. won a 1980 Golden Globe (Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series) and a 1984 Emmy Award (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series) for his work on One Day at a Time, which aired from December 1975 to May 1984. Playing Schneider, a would-be ladies man, he was easily recognized by his trademark mustache, blue vest and tool belt.
Daniel Patrick Harrington Jr. was born August 13th, 1929 in New York City, the child of a vaudeville- and Broadway-performing father. Harrington Jr. served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and pursued an acting career after finishing his military service.
His breakout came in the 1950s with multiple appearances on Jack Parrs The Tonight Show, followed by a stint on The Steve Allen Show. In the 1960s and early Seventies, Harrington Jr. found work in high-profile films, landing roles opposite Elvis Presley (1967s The Presidents Analyst) and James Coburn (1969s 2000 Years Later).
In addition to his iconic role on One Day at a Time, Harrington Jr. appeared on a variety of popular TV series throughout the decades, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents;Murder, She Wrote;The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters and Curb Your Enthusiasm.