Sad news is surfacing on Monday night, as veteran actorMichael Hogan, who is best known for playing Colonel Saul Tigh onBattlestar Galactica, apparently suffered a tragic accident back in February and is unlikely to be able to work again. Friends of the Hogan family have launched aGoFundMe campaignthat has raised more than $55,000 of its $150,000 goal.
According to family friendShari Ulrich, Hogan was in Vancouver participating in aBattlestar Galacticaconvention when he fell and hit his head during dinner. He went to bed that night not realizing that he’d suffered a traumatic head injury, which resulted in a massive brain bleed. Hogan required emergency surgery and the accident left him with complete paralysis on his left side, as well as memory loss, cognitive impairment and an inability to swallow.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made an already difficult situation even more difficult, as Hogan’s access to his family and a proper care team remains limited. This summer, he was moved into The Berkley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where he has been seeing a physiotherapist several times a week, though he still can’t stand on his own and requires a feeding tube. He has regained his speech and is largely coherent and cognizant, but his family says he still has a long, hard road ahead of him.
The financial demands for someone in Hogan’s situation are no doubt considerable, and the actor’s wife,Susan Hogan, has been unable to work, as she has been focused on caring for her husband and arranging his medical care. She’d prefer to have Michael home with her once he’s able to leave his current Long Term Care facility, but that means installing wheelchair ramps, a hospital bed, and buying a vehicle that can accommodate the wheelchair, among numerous other medical services.
Hogan has been a working actor since the late ’70s and appeared in the first two episodes ofMonkbefore finding fame onBattlestar, which led to recurring roles onTeen Wolf,12 MonkeysandThe Man in the High Castle. He also played Slade Wilson in two episodes ofSmallvilleand Otto Gerhardt on the acclaimed second season ofFargo. Hogan’s feature credits includeThe Peanut Butter Solution,The Cutting Edge,The Day the Earth Stood Still,andRed Riding Hood, and he recently played the Air Force Chief of Staff in the live-actionSonic the Hedgehogmovie.
