Alan Rachins (born October 3, 1942) is an American television actor, best known for his role as Douglas Brackman in L.A. Law, which earned him both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, as well as for his portrayal of Dharma's hippie father, Larry, on the hit television series, "Dharma & Greg". He is currently the voice for Norman Osborn on The Spectacular Spider-Man.
Rachins graduated from Brookline High School and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A passion for acting compelled him to move to New York to study with teachers William Ball, Warren Robertson, Kim Stanley and Harvey Lembeck, among others. Over the next decade, he performed in a succession of plays, including the original Broadway productions of After the Rain and H'adrian the Seventh, as well as the original off-Broadway productions of The Trojan Women and the controversial Oh! Calcutta.
In 1972, Rachins put his acting career on hold when he was accepted as a fellow in the writing and directing programs at the American Film Institute. He went on to sell scripts to a variety of shows, including Hill Street Blues, Fall Guy, Hart to Hart and Knight Rider.
Despite these successes as a writer and director, Rachins returned to his acting career with a leading role in Henry Jaglom’s independent film, Always. This critically acclaimed film brought him wide-spread attention and ultimately led to his role on L.A. Law. Rachins continued to working in feature films such as Heart Condition co-starring with Denzel Washington and Bob Hoskins, Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls and Rob Reiner’s North.
Recent theatre appearances include the world premiere of Arthur Laurents’ two-hander “Attacks Of The Heart” at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, N.J. directed by David Saint. At the Cape Playhouse, he played the part of Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit The Wind. Additionally, he tackled the role of ‘Albin’, the flamboyant transvestite in the famed Jupiter Theater production of La Cage Aux Folles, was seen in Love Letters with Swoosie Kurtz at the Coronet Theatre in Beverly Hills and starred in the Reprise production of Promises, Promises with Jason Alexander, Jean Smart and Alan Thicke at the Freud Theatre in Los Angeles.
Rachins recently appeared on the ABC-TV series Eli Stone, playing an attorney in consultation with Eli Stone. The name "Brackman" can be seen in inverted letters on a translucent wall behind Rachins.
Rachins was born in October 1942 Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son Edward and Ida Rachins. His father was in a family food maunfacturing business called Snow Crest. Rachins and Joanna Frank have been married for more than 27 years and have a son, Robert. The couple has formed a production company, Allofit Productions, which has acquired books and original screenplays to develop for television and feature films. Alan is a member of Mensa.
