Actor in TV Series Found Dead in Motel

Actor David Strickland, who played a music critic on the NBC sitcom “Suddenly Susan,” was found dead Monday morning, hanging from a bedsheet that he had strung from a ceiling beam, police said.

Strickland, 28, was found by a worker at the Oasis Motel, said police spokesman Steve Meriwether. A chair was next to his body, and an empty box of beer was seen in the room. It was not clear how long he had been hanging.

Strickland played Todd, a music critic on “Suddenly Susan,” which stars Brooke Shields as a sheltered magazine writer. Strickland has been on the show for the last three seasons, said his publicist, Marisa McGrath.

Strickland also appears in the new DreamWorks film “Forces of Nature,” starring Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck. Strickland played the ex-boyfriend of Affleck’s fiancee. The film was released Friday.

Strickland was born in Glen Cove, N.Y. but moved to Pacific Palisades while in high school. After graduation, he pursued an acting career with a theater company.

He worked on a number of student films and guest-starred in episodes of “Roseanne” and “Dave’s World.” He also had recurring roles on “Sister, Sister” and “Mad About You,” playing Paul Reiser’s co-worker.

He also had a role in the 1998 independent film “Delivered.”

A NBC spokesman did not return a phone call seeking comment. A phone message with a DreamWorks publicist also was not returned.