Will Hutchins, the affable, blue-eyed actor who made his mark on American television during the golden age of Westerns, has died at the age of 94.

He passed away on Monday due to respiratory failure at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York.

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Best known for his portrayal of Tom Brewster, the gentle and book-smart frontier lawyer in the ABC series ‘Sugarfoot’ (1957–1961), Will Hutchins became a familiar face in households across America. His laid-back charm and comic timing gave life to a new kind of Western hero—one who solved problems with wit more than violence.

Over 69 episodes, audiences warmed to Hutchins’ portrayal of a man who preferred law books to shootouts but could still handle a six-shooter when needed.

Reflecting on his life and legacy, his wife Barbara shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “He was hysterical, everyone loved him. He had a great sense of humor, and it never gave up on him.”

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Born Marshall Lowell Hutchason on May 5, 1930, in Los Angeles, Hutchins originally studied at Pomona College and later at UCLA. He landed the role of Tom Brewster early in his acting career, which set the stage for several decades of work in both television and film.

After ‘Sugarfoot’, Hutchins continued to charm audiences in the 1966 NBC sitcom ‘Hey, Landlord’, playing Woody Banner, a young man who inherits a New York brownstone. The show was the creation of Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, who had just wrapped their work on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’.

In 1968, he stepped into the shoes of Dagwood Bumstead in CBS’s short-lived comedy ‘Blondie’, based on the popular comic strip. Though the show ran for only 16 episodes, Hutchins’ performance brought a dose of slapstick humor to primetime.

His charisma also translated to the big screen, where he had memorable roles alongside Elvis Presley. In ‘Spinout’ (1966), he played Lt. Tracy Richards, a gourmet cop with a name that playfully nodded to Dick Tracy. A year later, he reunited with Presley in ‘Clambake’ (1967) as Tom Wilson, even lip-syncing a duet, “Who Needs Money?”, with the King of Rock and Roll.

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Hutchins’ film career also included more dramatic and offbeat turns. In Monte Hellman’s cult Western ‘The Shooting’ (1965), he acted alongside Jack Nicholson. In 1970’s ‘Shangani Patrol’, shot on location in Rhodesia, Hutchins portrayed the real-life American scout Frederick Burnham.

He also appeared in the short-lived NBC series ‘The Quest’ (1976), and much later in the indie Western ‘Gunfighter’ (1998), directed by Christopher Coppola.

Though his screen appearances slowed in later years, Hutchins remained a beloved figure among classic TV and Western aficionados.

In his personal life, Hutchins married Barbara in 1988. He was previously married to Chrissie Burnett—sister of comedian Carol Burnett—with whom he had a daughter, Jennifer.