While most who have noted his passing have emphasized his years in the dual role of Carlo and Mortimer Hesser on the soap opera One Life to Live, I remember his short-lived tenure as Hawk during the second season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Christopher's portrayal of Hawk was about the only good thing during Buck Rogers' second season prompting the series to be abruptly cancelled. The show's producers turned Colonel Wilma Deering (played by Erin Gray) from a person of authority to a flight attendant, replacing Tim McNamara with Jay Garner, introduced an annoying robot named Creighton while Twiki no longer sounded Jewish (owing to a contract dispute with Mel Blanc).
Hawk was half-man, half-bird whose people had been exterminated by humans save for himself and his wife Koori (played by Barbara Luna) and takes vengeance on the universe. It is left to Buck Rogers (played by Gil Gerard) to stop him. Along the way, Buck Rogers and Hawk develop mutual respect for each other after Rogers accidentally injuries Koori and tries to save her life. After Koori dies, Buck and Colonel Deering persuade Hawk to join forces with them. It has been said that Hawk is Spock to Buck's Captain Kirk.
In the hands of another actor, Hawk might have come across as cheesy, but Christopher's stoic yet sensitive portrayal makes him a standout character who deserved greater exploration. Yet Hawk made a deep impression on Justin Roiland, creator of the Rick and Morty animated series, who developed Birdman based on Christopher's portrayal of Hawk.
Although Christopher only played Hawk for 13 episodes in Buck Rogers, he made him soar. R.I.P.
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