Ken Howard

Actor

  • Born: March 28, 1944
  • Birthplace: El Centro, California
  • Died: March 23, 2016
  • Place of death:Los Angeles, California

Contribution: The Tony and Emmy Award–winning actor Ken Howard is best known for his role on the critically acclaimed drama series The White Shadow, which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1981.

Background

Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. was born on March 28, 1944, in El Centro, California, to Kenneth Joseph and Martha Carrey Howard. He grew up in Manhasset, an affluent town on the north shore of Long Island, New York. He had a younger brother, Donald, who died of liver disease in 1999.

Howard attended Manhasset High School. Standing at six feet six inches tall, he became a standout center on the school basketball team and earned the nickname “the White Shadow” for being the only white player in the team’s starting lineup. He was also a track and field star and a member of the National Honor Society.

After graduating from high school in 1962, Howard enrolled at Amherst College, in Massachusetts, where he majored in English. He began acting during his first year in college. He performed in various plays and musicals throughout his time at Amherst. He also sang in an a cappella group and served as captain of the basketball team.

Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1966, Howard won a fellowship to attend the Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut. He studied there for two years before leaving to pursue a career in acting. He later received a master of fine arts from Pennsylvania State University in 1999.

Career

Howard’s professional acting career began on Broadway in 1968, when he won a small role as a bartender in the Neil Simon musical Promises, Promises. The following year he played the role of Thomas Jefferson in the Tony Award–winning musical 1776 (1969), about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Howard received a Theatre Desk Award for his portrayal of Jefferson. In 1970, he won a Tony Award for his supporting role as a conflicted gym teacher in Robert Marasco’s A Child’s Play. Howard later landed starring roles in the Broadway productions Seesaw (1973), The Norman Conquests (1975), and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976).

After establishing himself as a Broadway actor, Howard launched a film and television career. He made his big-screen debut opposite Liza Minnelli in director Otto Preminger’s Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970), and then followed that with a role in another Preminger film, Such Good Friends (1971). In 1972, he reprised his role as Thomas Jefferson in Peter H. Hunt’s film adaptation of 1776. The following year, he secured his first regular television role in ABC’s short-lived comedy series Adam’s Rib (1973). Howard next starred as private investigator Dave Barrett in the CBS crime series The Manhunter, which aired from 1974 to 1975. Howard’s profile rose considerably in 1978, when he began starring as Ken Reeves, a former NBA player turned inner-city high school basketball coach, in CBS’s ensemble drama series The White Shadow (1978–1981). The show was loosely based on Howard’s own experiences playing basketball at Manhasset High School and was one of the first television series to feature a predominantly African American cast. The White Shadow aired for three seasons, during which it became a cult hit and received widespread critical praise.

During the 1980s, Howard worked almost exclusively in television, alternating between movies, miniseries, and shows. In 1981, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for his narration of the CBS afternoon special The Body Human: Facts for Boys, and two years later, he landed a role in the highly acclaimed ABC miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983). Howard would have regular roles on such shows as It’s Not Easy, Dynasty, and The Colbys, before returning to Broadway to play a supporting role in the Neil Simon farce Rumors in 1988.

The 1990s and 2000s saw Howard continue his prolific output for television while making the occasional venture into film. He had recurring roles on the series Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996), Melrose Place (1992–1999), Arliss (1996–2002), and The Practice (1997–2004), before joining the regular cast of the NBC crime series Crossing Jordan (2001–2007) in 2001. Howard appeared in the first four seasons of the show but did not appear in the show’s final two seasons due to conflicts over money. Meanwhile, he appeared in such mainstream Hollywood films as Oscar (1991), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The Net (1995), At First Sight (1999), In Her Shoes (2005), and Michael Clayton (2007).

Howard next played a villainous sugar baron on the critically acclaimed CBS drama series Cane (2007), which was canceled after one season due to a Writers Guild of America strike. He then landed a small part in Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo (2008) before making a series of one-off guest appearances on such shows as Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011), Boston Legal (2004–2008), Dirty Sexy Money (2007–2009), and Cold Case (2003–2010).

In 2009, Howard won rave reviews for his portrayal of the New York lawyer Phelan Beale in the HBO film Grey Gardens, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for best supporting actor. In September 2009, he was elected the twenty-fifth president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), after leading a group of moderates known as Unite for Strength. He was reelected to a second term in 2011, after orchestrating the successful merger of SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), which created the union SAG-AFTRA.

While serving as SAG president, Howard continued to act in films and on television. In 2011, he appeared as Attorney General Harlan Fiske Stone in Clint Eastwood’s biopic J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He also landed a recurring role as television executive Hank Hooper on the popular NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013). His final appearance was in a small role in the 2015 film Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Howard died on March 23, 2016, at the age of seventy-one.

Impact

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Howard moved effortlessly between the stage and screen. With his conservative, clean-cut looks and imposing stature, Howard became one of Hollywood’s best-known character actors, playing presidents, politicians, judges, doctors, coaches, and other high-powered characters. Howard appeared in over one hundred film and television roles and was elected for four terms as president of SAG and its successor SAG-AFTRA.

Personal Life

Howard married his third wife, the former stuntwoman and actor Linda Fetters, in 1992. After receiving a kidney transplant in 2000, he worked in support of the National Kidney Foundation.

Principal Works

Television

Adam’s Rib, 1973

The Manhunter, 1974–75

The White Shadow, 1978–81

The Body Human: Facts for Boys, 1981

The Thorn Birds, 1983

Dynasty, 1985–86

Melrose Place, 1994–98

Crossing Jordan, 2001–5

Cane, 2007

Grey Gardens, 2009

30 Rock, 2011–13

Film

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, 1970

1776, 1972

Oscar, 1991

Clear and Present Danger, 1994

The Net, 1995

At First Sight, 1999

In Her Shoes, 2005

Michael Clayton, 2007

Rambo, 2008

J. Edgar, 2011

Theater

Promises, Promises, 1968

1776, 1969

Child’s Play, 1970

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, 1976

Rumors, 1988

Bibliography

Abramowitz, Rachel, and Richard Verrier. “Ken Howard’s Toughest Role Yet.” Hamilton Spectator. Metroland Media Group, 9 Oct. 2009: G16. Print.

Barnes, Brooks. "Ken Howard, 71, Actor and SAG-Aftra Union President, Dies." New York Times. New York Times, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 2 May. 2016.

Granados, Nelson. "Ken Howard Re-Elected to Lead SAG-AFTRA into the Digital Era." Forbes. Forbes Media, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 2 May. 2016.

Kaminsky, Arthur C. “Manhasset Sports Hall of Fame Welcomes Five Inductees.” Manhasset Press. Anton Community Newspapers, 4 Dec. 2009. Web. 8 July 2013.

McNary, Dave. “Merger Possibility Remains Highest Priority for Guild President.” Daily Variety 27 Jan. 2012: 15–19. Print.

Wyatt, Edward. “Screen Actors Guild Elects Emmy Winner as President.” New York Times. New York Times, 25 Sept. 2009. Web. 29 July 2013.