The Texas-born star first started off acting after a stint in the army, making his movie debut in 1970 and he retired from the business in 1999.
He appeared in over 70 movies and TV shows, but will be best remembered for appearing as the character Jonathan Quayle Higgins III in the hugely popular smash hit 'Magnum PI'.
In his career, Hillerman won a Golden Globe in 1981, having been nominated a total of five times. He was also received four Emmy nominations and won one in 1987.
He made his movie debut in 1970 in a small part in 'They Call Me Mister Tibbs!' and also appeared in 'The Last Picture Show', 'What's Up, Doc?' and 'Paper Moon'. He also had a small role in Roman Polanski's seminal classic noir movie 'Chinatown'.