Royce D. Applegate

Royce D. Applegate (December 25, 1939 – January 1, 2003) was an American actor and screenwriter. Born in Oklahoma, his most visible role was that of Chief Petty Officer Manilow Crocker on the first season of the Steven Spielberg-produced television series "seaQuest DSV".
In 1985, Applegate played tragic family man-turned-kidnapper Donald Brown, a bereaved father who abducts the character Sam in order to replace his own dead son, on the season premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes" last season when it moved from NBC to ABC.
Applegate portrayed Confederate General James L. Kemper in two Ronald F. Maxwell movies, "Gettysburg" (1993) and "Gods and Generals" (2003).
On New Year's Day 2003, Applegate died in his Hollywood Hills home in a fire just one week after his 63rd birthday.