Scott Hylands, the Canadian actor who played Det. Kevin 'O.B.' O'Brien on the 1980s cop series Night Heat, has died at age 83. His son Luke Hylands announced that Hylands died on July 29. A longtime resident of Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Hylands had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in October 2021. The Hollywood Reporter

Night Heat ran for four seasons and 96 episodes, from January 1985 through January 1989, airing on CTV in Canada and in late night on CBS. It was the first Canadian original drama series to simultaneously air in the United States — a distinction that mattered at a time when Canadian-produced television rarely crossed the border on its own terms.

The show was conceived by Sonny Grosso, a former New York City detective who, with his partner Eddie Egan, helped bring down the French Connection drug-smuggling ring in the 1960s. On screen, Hylands portrayed O'Brien, a veteran cop, alongside Jeff Wincott as his younger partner Frank Giambone and Allan Royal as Tom Kirkwood, a newspaper columnist narrating each episode.

Born Scott Hylands Douglas on February 27, 1943, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Hylands lost his father, Walter, to combat in 1945 during the Second World War. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1964 and landed the lead in a 1965 off-Broadway production of Billy Liar. His onscreen debut came in the 1969 film Daddy's Gone a-Hunting, directed by Mark Robson, in which he played a deranged ex-boyfriend.

Through the 1970s, Hylands built a steady career across film and television. His film credits included Slipstream (1973), Earthquake (1974) and The Boys in Company C (1978). On television, he guest-starred on a string of popular series — The Streets of San Francisco, Kung Fu, Harry O, Police Woman, Cannon, Medical Center, Baretta, Wonder Woman and Police Story — and appeared in the 1978–79 miniseries Centennial.

After Night Heat ended, Hylands continued working across Canadian and American productions, with roles on NYPD Blue, The X-Files, Due South, Stargate SG-1, The Outer Limits, V, Once Upon a Time and Wynonna Earp. In 2017, he played Ennis Stuccy, the stepfather of Carrie Coon's character Gloria Burgle, on the third season of FX's Fargo.

Jeff Wincott, who starred opposite Hylands on Night Heat, described him in a 2021 interview with the Toronto Sun as always prepared, professional and deeply caring about doing good work.

Hylands is survived by his wife of 36 years, Veronica; his son Luke; and his daughter Rebecca.