Steve Franken is dead. The actor, who starred in 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,' died Friday after a cancer battle. He was 80-years-old at the time of his death in Los Angeles.

Thursday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported the passing of the veteran actor, whose career spanned over five decades.

Franken (as Chatsworth Osborne Jr.), who appears in this photo with the late Bob Denver (Maynard G. Krebs) and Dwayne Hickman (Dobie Gillis) appeared in the series in the '60s.

He replaced Warren Beatty, who starred in the role of the show's original rich kid, Milton Armitage.

Sources say Beatty wanted to do feature-films and never returned to 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.'

Steve Franken was in the right place at the right time, as luck would have it.

While the actor is best known for his role in the '60s situation comedy, he also appeared in 'Bewitched,' 'The Party,' 'The Missouri Breaks,' 'Hardly Working,' 'The Americanization of Emily' and 'Which Way to the Front?'

Franken's wife, Jean, said Steve loved acting so much that despite undergoing cancer chemotherapy treatments, giving him another eight months of life, he auditioned for television, theater and movie roles.

Steve Franken's memorial services are scheduled for 2 in the afternoon September 22 i.