Richard Roat, Who Appeared in Seinfeld and Friends , Dead at 89

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Richard Roat, a prolific character actor who had memorable roles on television shows spanning nearly 50 years, has died. He was 89.

The actor passed away on Aug. 5 in Orange County, California, according to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times.

The veteran performer amassed more than 135 roles on television, film and Broadway, appearing on The Golden Girls twice (once as Betty White's boyfriend), as well as Dallas, Hill Street Blues, Cheers, Murphy Brown, Happy Days and "just about every TV show going back to Car 54, Where Are You?" his obituary read.

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Roat got his start in the industry in the early 1960s, landing a recurring role as Dr. Jerry Chandler on the NBC soap opera The Doctors in 1962.

In the 90s, he added a new audience to his credits with memorable roles on Seinfeld, as Dr. Berg, the doctor who found Elaine to be "a difficult patient," and on Friends as a college professor who busted Ross for dating a student.

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Besides performing on Broadway in productions such as Sunday in New York, Any Wednesday and The Wall, Roat also appeared at The Public Theatre in Central Park in Julius Caesar, The Huntington Hartford Theatre in Los Angeles (Boys in the Band) and the Pasadena Playhouse (Moon Over Buffalo), per IMDb.

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Away from the stage the Connecticut-born Roat also forged a five-decade-long career as an entertainment tax preparer. A whiskey aficionado, he had a love for music and played the violin, added his obituary.

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The avid Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Angels fan was also married to his wife Kathy for 40 years.

"His greatest love was his family, with whom he shared his incredible sense of humor, intelligence, and unmatched zest for life," Roat's family wrote in his obituary.