'Rockford Files' Star Joe Santos Dead at 84

SANTA MONICA, CA - Actor Joe Santos, who appeared on the 1970s TV show "The Rockford Files" with James Garner, died Friday in a Santa Monica hospital, TMZ.com reported. He was 84.

Born as Joseph Minieri on June 9, 1931 in Brooklyn, N.Y., Santos played football at Fordham University and was a semi-professional player before finding success as an actor.

He made a career of playing good cops in a string of television series in the 1970s and '80s. Santos played Lt. Dennis Becker on the NBC show, which ran from 1974-80. He also had roles on "Magnum, P.I." and, more recently, on HBO's "The Sopranos."

His last role was in 2015 as a terminally ill patient in the movie "Chronic."

Santos had a heart attack at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday and was put on life support, according to TMZ.

He is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons, one of whom is writer-producer Perry Santos.

--City News Service contributed to this story. Photo courtesy of NBC