Dan Frazer, the actor best known for playing the role of Captain Frank MCNeil in the successful U.S. crime series 'Kojak', has sadly passed away aged 90. The actor suffered from a cardiac arrest at his home in Manhattan on Friday, December 16th 2011, according to his daughter Susanna.

Frazer had a long if not always prolific career stretching back to several TV roles in the 1950s and a graduation to the silver screen in 1963's 'Lilies Of The Field', but it was the crime detective series 'Kojak' that he was by far and away his best known work, the program running for five years and five seasons between 1973 and 1978 and gaining somewhat of a cult following. It was a role he reprised in 1983 for a film adaptation of the Telly Savalas created cop show called 'Kojak: The Belarus File' and his success in the genre meant that he appeared in other crime dramas in guest roles, including 'Law And Order'.

The Associated Press said that Frazer's daughter Susanna lead the tributes to her father, describing him as a "very truthful, naturalistic actor." His last role came in movie 'The Pack' alongside 'Mad Men's' Elisabeth Moss, an independent film that was shown in a number of cinema screens this year.