Actor Paul Jenkins has died at the age of 74.

The star passed away on Monday (01Jul13) following a brief illness, reports Deadline.com. Further details of his death were unavailable at press time.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jenkins made his movie debut in Roman Polanski's 1968 thriller Rosemary's Baby.

He reteamed with the filmmaker for an appearance in his 1974 crime drama Chinatown, but it was in Tv that he really found fame, scoring small roles in 1970s series like M*A*S*H, Columbo, The Partridge Family and Kojak.

However, he will perhaps be best remembered for his portrayal of Professor Parks on family drama The Waltons from 1974 to 1976, and as Ed on Dynasty in 1981.

His other Tv credits include The Rockford Files and Starsky and Hutch, while he also appeared in more recent shows Ally MCBeal, Party of Five, The West Wing and Cold Case.