Michael Cole, ‘The Mod Squad’ and ‘It’ actor, dies aged 84

Michael Cole, the actor best known for playing Pete Cochran in The Mod Squad, has died at the age of 84.

Representatives for Cole confirmed on Tuesday (December 10) that he passed away “peacefully this morning, surrounded by loved ones, after living a full and vibrant life”.

He was one of three leads in the ABC crime drama The Mod Squad, which ran from 1968 until 1973, and was seen as crucial in the counterculture movement of the day, tackling issues from abortion to domestic violence to police brutality.

Alongside Peggy Lipton and Clarence Williams III, he played a character who was given the chance to work undercover for the police squad instead of serving time, as authorities believed he would be able to relate to the wayward young generation of the late ‘60s.

Cole was born on July 3, 1940 in Madison, Wisconsin and had early success with brief roles in the hit Western series Gunsmoke and the 1966 sci-fi film The Bubble.

After The Mod Squad, he went on to appear in mainstream shows such as Murder, She Wrote, Wonder Woman and Fantasy Island, and later played the older version of Henry Bowers in the 1990 TV miniseries version of Stephen King’s It.

He earned acclaim for his role on stage in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and later starred in the films Nickel Mountain, Mr. Brooks and Grave Misconduct, and released his memoir I Played The White Guy in 2009.

Michael Cole's final role was in the TV movie I wrote called GRAVE MISCONDUCT. Here he is sharing the screen with Joanna Miles and Crystal Bernard. My condolences go out to his family and friends. https://t.co/XN5RzYeJaY pic.twitter.com/6Nr9uBZuIr

— Matthew Chernov (@MatthewChernov) December 10, 2024

Matthew Chernov, who wrote Grave Misconduct, was among those to pay tribute to Cole online after the news of his passing, writing on X: “Michael Cole’s final role was in the TV movie I wrote called GRAVE MISCONDUCT. Here he is sharing the screen with Joanna Miles and Crystal Bernard. My condolences go out to his family and friends.”

Cole was married three time and is survived by his wife Shelley Funes and his three children.

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