Rif Hutton
Hutton at the Kirk Baily celebration of life in 2022
Born (1952-11-28)November 28, 1952
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Died April 18, 2026(2026-04-18) (aged 73)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1983–2026
Spouse
Bridget Hoffman
​
(m. 2001)​
[1]

Rif Hutton (November 28, 1952 – April 18, 2026) was an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Dr. Ron Welch in the comedy-drama series Doogie Howser, M.D., appearing in that series from 1990 up to its conclusion in 1993. From 1997 to 2001, he appeared in a recurring role as Lt. Cmdr. Alan Mattoni on the series JAG. Hutton is also notable for playing Russ Beeler, a fictional owner of a KFC establishment, appearing in a number of KFC commercials in the early to mid 1990s.[2]

Early life and career

Hutton was born in San Antonio, Texas, and was raised in East Orange, New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s to pursue an acting career. He went to many auditions in his early years, but soon found himself broke and homeless, getting assistance from friends.[3]

He went on to guest star in a number of notable television series including The Jeffersons, Night Court, L.A. Law, Married... with Children, Hunter, Wings, Murphy Brown, The Larry Sanders Show, Getting By, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Family Matters, and Cold Case among others.[1]

Hutton also appeared in stage productions in the Los Angeles area as well as working as a voice actor.[1]

Personal life and death

Hutton was married twice. His first marriage was to a woman named Pat, an actress and stand-up comedian.[3] His second was to actress Bridget Hoffman in 2001.[1]

It is also reported in 2000 that he was engaged to actress Telma Hopkins.[4][5] In 1993–94, Hutton had played Hopkins' love interest in a few episodes of her sitcom Getting By.

Hutton died from brain cancer at his home in Pasadena, California, on April 18, 2026, at the age of 73.[6]

Filmography

Film

  • Wavelength (1983) – Air Force officer
  • Wanted: Dead or Alive (1987) – Agent
  • You Talkin' to Me? (1987) – Black Man
  • Moving (1988) – Reporter
  • Stand and Deliver (1988) – Pearson
  • L.A. Heat (1989) – Det. Royster
  • The Borrower (1991) – Newscaster
  • Going Under (1991) – Dr. Friendly
  • Star Trek Generations (1994) – Klingon Guard
  • Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter (1995) – Jess
  • Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995) – Arnold
  • Restraining Order (1999) – Sidney Evans
  • The Thirteenth Floor (1999) – Joe
  • Shrek (2001) – Lord Farquaad's Guards (voice)
  • Osmosis Jones (2001) – Charlie (voice)
  • Gas (2004) – Brad
  • Shark Tale (2004) – Fish (voice)
  • Tugger: The Jeep 4x4 Who Wanted to Fly (2005) – Crewman #1 (voice)
  • Madagascar (2005) – Crowd Member (voice)
  • Stick It (2006) – Drill Sergeant
  • Curious George (2006) – Mailman (voice)
  • The Tale of Despereaux (2008) – Man in crowd (voice)
  • My Apocalypse (2008) – Housing Inspector
  • Astro Boy (2009) – Metro City Sergeant (voice)
  • The Princess and the Frog (2009) – DJ (voice)
  • Rio (2011) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Hotel Transylvania (2012) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • ParaNorman (2012) – Blithe Hollow Townperson (voice)
  • Epic (2013) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Rio 2 (2014) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016) – High Official #2 (voice)
  • The Star (2017) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) – Additional Voices (voice)
  • Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) – Additional Voices (voice)

Television

  • The Jeffersons (1985) – Roulette Spinner
  • 227 (1987) – Man #1
  • Webster (1989) – Bob
  • A Different World (1989) – Security #2
  • Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993) – Dr. Ron Welch
  • Married, with Children (1990) – Bailiff
  • Wings (1991) – T.V. Anchorman
  • Sister, Sister (1994) – PTA President
  • Fudge (1995) – Mr. Green
  • General Hospital (1995) – David Ward
  • Home Improvement (1995) – Man at Arena
  • The Wayans Bros. (1995–1999) – Ted Winters / Agent Doug Steckler
  • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1996) – Agent Rawlings
  • The Jamie Foxx Show (1996) – Vray Beaujay
  • Family Matters (1997) – Reverend Fuller
  • Seinfeld (1998) – Salesman
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2003) – Initiative General
  • House (2005) – Morris
  • Thats So Raven (2005) – Reverend Mattson
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2007) – Vernon Porter
  • Ghost Whisperer (2008) – Bill Eritt
  • The Mentalist (2008) – Doctor
  • Criminal Minds (2016) – Warden Bryan Nabb
  • General Hospital (2021) – Lenny

References

  1. ^ a b c d Rif Hutton Biography, Film Reference
  2. ^ Stuart Elliott (May 19, 1992). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; KFC's Very Real Problems May Be Solved in Lake Edna - New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  3. ^ a b LIBBY SLATE (January 23, 1993). "Actor Rif Hutton Has Fun Growing With 'Doogie Howser, M.D.' - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  4. ^ "Family Matters: 1989-1998 - Family Matters, Where Are They Now?, Darius McCrary, Jaleel White, Jomarie Payton, Reginald VelJohnson, Telma Hopkins". People. June 26, 2000. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "The Telma Hopkins Picture Pages". Superiorpics.com. Retrieved July 30, 2012.[dead link]
  6. ^ "'Doogie Howser, M.D.' Star Rif Hutton Dead at 70". TMZ. April 20, 2026. Retrieved April 20, 2026.