'Meatballs,' 'Cagney & Lacey' actor Harvey Atkin dead at 74

Published September 27, 2017

Actor Harvey Atkin tucks into hot dogs, as City-TV's Brona Brown looks on, during a celebrity outdoor barbecue to raise money for Variety Village. (Andrew Stawicki/Toronto Star via Getty)

Harvey Atkin, the Canadian actor who played the summer camp director Morty in "Meatballs," has died. He was 74.

Atkin's longtime agent Larry Goldhar said Tuesday that Atkin died Monday night following a battle with cancer. Atkin appeared in more than 90 episodes of "Cagney & Lacey" as Sgt. Ronald Coleman, and he appeared frequently as Judge Alan Ridenour on "Law & Order."

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But many knew him best for his breakout role in Ivan Reitman's 1979 Bill Murray comedy. His mustached, bespectacled Morty Melnick — a heavy sleeper — was the target of numerous pranks by the camp counselors. The movie ended with Morty waking up on a raft in the middle of a lake.

Atkin is survived by his wife, Celia, his daughter, Lisa, and his son Danny.

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