Letter to a Fine Actor
Dear Mr. John Hillerman,
With each passing year, I (sorry, it will be a bit personal
) lose people, famous or not, who, knowingly or not, helped make the early years of my life so easy, fun, and memorable. And with each passing year, as I unfortunately get used to this, I feel less and less pain although I know deep down that with these people passing away, my childhood, my teenage years too slowly fade away.
For me, it really started when we lost James Stewart (no I'm not that old
), but
The Man From Laramie is the first movie I ever saw... or so do I remember.
And ever since, it seems like an endless stream of people I like, love or care about going away. Such is the burden of life I suppose... And I consider myself lucky to have been surrounded so far with so little death and tragedy.
I have to be honest, news of your passing, Mr. Hillerman, didn't make me sad nor numb, knowing that you lived a good life and were probably happy with what you'd done with the opportunities you'd been given. 'Well, that's life,' I thought 'It had to happen some day.'
It's just one of these moments when I realize once more that nothing's eternal, nothing should be taken for granted.
And yet, it affects me; as usual I feel a certain emptiness, fond memories start to flow and I think about what you, as an actor, and mainly in the role of Johnathan Quayle Higgins III, meant to me.
I remember sneaking into the living room to watch reruns of older and newer shows like
Mission: Impossible,
The A-Team or, of course,
Magnum P.I.. I don't know if my parents ever found out (I've never even thought of asking them, although they must have known after a while), but that's another story.
I remember believing for a long long time that you, John Hillerman, were the quintessential Brit just like your Higgins character and being shocked to learn that you were in fact a Texan. I remember always looking forward to your scenes, I remember laughing at Higgins antics and Magnum's shenanigans, I remember feeling empathy and sadness when Higgins was himself facing love disappointments or tragedies. More recently, upon viewing
Chinatown,I remember thinking once again that you were indeed a fine actor.
And I remember that of all the ingredients that made the
Magnum P.I. recipe so palatable, Higgins, the character you so marvelously portrayed, was the most important, because his chemistry with Magnum truly made the show. Without him (or you),
Magnum P.I. would have been just another TV show. Your demeanor, mannerisms, screen presence made Higgins the perfect foil for Tom Selleck and up until today (and from now on til the day I die) I've savored your fine acting.
Mr. Hillerman, Sir, wherever you are now, I just want to tell you 'Thank you!'. Thank you for your craft, thank you for the countless happy moments you've provided me for so long and these countless happy moments in the future.
You're taking away a bit of my childhood memories, and it makes me a bit angry... angry because I realize that I'm getting older and there's nothing to stop that. Don't worry, I'll get over it.
I probably will be a wee bit misty-eyed the next time I see you on the screen, but I can assure you will never forget you.
And I hope that some day, I'll get a chance to meet you wherever we end up being, because I really want to tell you 'Thank you!' in person, at least once.
May You Rest in Peace.
A fan.