365 Days of Columbo: April 27th

Happy Anniversary to A Deadly State of Mind

On April 27, 1975, NBC first aired A Deadly State of Mind, the sixth and final episode of Columbo’s fourth season. It starred George Hamilton as Dr. Mark Collier, the suave psychiatrist whose bedside manner could use a little work, with Lesley Ann Warren as Nadia Donner, Stephen Elliott as Carl Donner, and Karen Machon as Dr. Anita Borden. 

Happy Birthday Robert Donner

Actor Robert Donner was born April 27, 1931, in New York City. Columbo fans know him from Any Old Port in a Storm, where he plays “The Drunk,” the barfly who pesters Columbo during the episode’s famous wine-world investigation.

It is a small part, but a memorable one.

Donner returned in season 10's Murder Can be Hazardous to Your Health as the video store clerk, and again as Zeke the parking officer in Undercover.

Outside of Columbo, Donner had a long career in television and film, including westerns, comedies, and plenty of guest shots. He is perhaps most recognized as Exidor in the Robin Williams comedy show Mork and Mindy. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 75.

Happy Birthday Doug Sheehan

Doug Sheehan was born April 27, 1949, in Santa Monica, California. In Columbo, he appeared as a Detective named Riley in the 1993 ABC movie It’s All in the Game, the episode written by Peter Falk himself and best remembered for pairing Columbo with Faye Dunaway’s Lauren Staton.

Outside of Columbo most viewers probably remember Sheehan from General Hospital, Knots Landing, or as Mel Horowitz on the TV version of Clueless, but his Columbo appearance lands him a place on today’s calendar. Sheehan passed away on June 29, 2024, at the age of 75.

Also Born Today: Dale Johnson

A smaller Columbo connection for April 27: actor Dale Johnson was born on April 27, 1915, in Portland, Oregon. His Columbo credit is a minor one — listed as a waiter, uncredited in Now You See Him. He died on April 1, 2005.