In film, he starred in
Night of Bloody Horror (1969), a low-budget slasher film in which he played the lead character Wesley Stuart. On television, McRaney appeared in multiple episodes of shows such as
Gunsmoke,
Police Woman, and
Barnaby Jones. He appeared in
The Dukes of Hazzard in the episode "Hazzard Connection" (November 9, 1979), played a receptionist in two different episodes of
The Rockford Files, and portrayed Tim Ryder, a
heroin-addicted
Vietnam War veteran in one episode of
Hawaii Five-O. In addition, he starred in numerous episodes of
The Incredible Hulk playing roles as a jealous boyfriend, a jealous race car driver, an angry police officer, and a disturbed police chief, and his miniseries roles include Dr. Henderson in
Women in White (1979) and a town local, Harry Owens in
Roots: The Next Generations (1979). McRaney became known for his role as Rick Simon, co-starring alongside
Jameson Parker, in the popular
CBS detective series
Simon & Simon from 1981 to 1989. During his time on the series, he appeared with Parker in the film
Jackals (1986), and appeared twice on sitcom
Designing Women. He then starred as Major John McGillis in the successful CBS family sitcom
Major Dad (1989–1993), and Russell Greene in the CBS family drama
Promised Land (1996–1999), a spinoff of the popular series
Touched by an Angel where he originated the character. He also portrayed business mogul Adam Brock in the last eight episodes of
Darren Star's primetime soap opera
Central Park West, which ran on CBS from 1995 to 1996. McRaney later appeared as General Alan Adamle in two episodes of the NBC drama
The West Wing. He also played a prominent role in the third and final season of the
HBO television series
Deadwood (2005–2006), as gold prospector
George Hearst; and starred in the CBS postapocalyptic series
Jericho as Johnston Green. Additionally, he has acted in many television films, such as:
Not Our Son (1995);
A Holiday Romance (1999);
Going for Broke (2003); and
Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004), as General
George S. Patton. He also starred in an episode of
Diagnosis: Murder (episode 1.13 "Lily") as Det. Andy Ruggio and
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (episode 9.24 "All In"). In the late 2000s, McRaney co-hosted the
Outdoor Life Network hunting and shooting series
The World of Beretta, drawing on his own sport interests. The series featured the sponsor's rifle and shotgun products in a number of hunting locations around the world, and often featured a celebrity shooter to hunt with McRaney. In 2010, he starred as the villainous General Morrison in the film
The A-Team (2010) and played a recurring role as
CIA handler Carlton Shaw in the NBC action drama
Undercovers. Also that year, he hosted a cable series on
Spike TV that encouraged viewers ''Don't Be a Victim
. One episode highlighted an instance wherein his longtime friend and Simon & Simon'' costar
Jameson Parker was shot twice. In 2011, he began playing a recurring role as a judge on the US drama
Fairly Legal. In 2012, McRaney played General Luntz in the movie
Red Tails, and Calvin in the film
Heart of the Country. He played the wealthy, powerful real estate developer Barlow Connally in the
A&E/
Netflix series
Longmire (2012–2015), and made several appearances in a guest role in the CBS comedy
Mike & Molly (2012–2013). Later in 2013, he had a recurring role in the final season of the drama
Southland. From 2013 to 2017, he appeared in the
Netflix series
House of Cards as the billionaire Raymond Tusk of an energy corporation specializing in nuclear power. He also made two appearances in a supporting role on the
FX Network drama
Justified. In 2015, he starred in the dark comedy
Focus as Bucky Spurgeon and in
Coat of Many Colors as Rev. Jake Owens,
Dolly Parton's maternal grandfather and preacher. In 2016, he appeared as main antagonist and recurring character Mason Wood (LockSat) during the eighth and final season of
Castle. From 2016 to 2022, he appeared in the
NBC series
This Is Us as Dr. Nathan Katowski, a role for which he won a
Primetime Emmy Award. In 2018, he appeared in the
USA Network series
Shooter as Red Bama Sr. McRaney appeared in a recurring role, on the CBS procedural drama,
NCIS: Los Angeles, since 2014, playing U.S. Navy Vice Admiral (retired) Hollace Kilbride. In 2021, McRaney became a series regular with Admiral Kilbride being appointed the new director of the NCIS Special Projects Office in Los Angeles. ==Personal life==