Jon Cypher, Man-At-Arms in the 1987 Masters of the Universe, has died at 94

Jon Cypher, who played Duncan, better known as Man-At-Arms, in the 1987 Masters of the Universe, died on August 3 at his home in Central Point, Oregon. He was 94. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both carried the news this week. His family told the local outlet Ashland News that his wife of 40 years, Carol Rosin, was with him, and did not give a cause of death.

He was born in New York City on January 13, 1932, and by the time he pulled on Man-At-Arms’ armour he had already had one of the longer careers in American television. His first credit was Prince Christopher in the 1957 live CBS broadcast of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella opposite Julie Andrews, watched by more than 100 million people. Nine Broadway roles followed, among them The Night of the Iguana, Man of La Mancha, The Great White Hope and 1776. To a different audience entirely he is Chief Fletcher Daniels, the political operator he played in more than 70 episodes of Hill Street Blues between 1981 and 1987, and later Brigadier General Marcus Craig on Major Dad.

Masters of the Universe landed in the middle of the Hill Street run. Cypher’s Duncan is the film’s anchor, the soldier who holds Eternia together while He-Man, Teela and Gwildor are stranded on Earth, and he plays him straight in a film that could easily have been played for a wink. That reading of the character, the veteran who has seen it all and is still standing at the front, is a large part of why the 1987 film keeps its following.

Idris Elba plays Man-At-Arms in this year’s Amazon MGM film, which means Cypher’s is now one of two live action versions of the character. Our guide to the 1987 film covers his casting and the rest of the ensemble, and the 2026 cast page sets out who is playing whom this time.

Sources

• Jon Cypher Dies: ‘Hill Street Blues’ Police Chief, ‘Major Dad’ Regular & ‘Masters Of The Universe’ Ally Was 94, Deadline, August 2026.
• Jon Cypher, Actor in ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Hill Street Blues’ and ‘Major Dad,’ Dies at 94, The Hollywood Reporter, August 2026.

Images: Jon Cypher as Duncan in Masters of the Universe (1987), Cannon Films. Publicity portrait of Jon Cypher.