Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Ken Howard has passed away, familiar to fans of TV and film and to his fellow actors for his final role as president of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents working actors. He was 71.
The six-foot-six Howard had been a basketball player in high school, serving as the only white player on the team, and pitched his idea about a white coach leading a black team to producer Bruce Paltrow (father of Gwyneth). The result was his hit TV drama The White Shadow, which ran from 1978-’81.
Prior to his TV success, Howard won a 1970 Tony for his role on Broadway in Child’s Play. In 2009, he won an Emmy for his performance in HBO movie Grey Gardens.
Throughout his lengthy career, Howard amassed a long list of on-screen credits in film, including roles in Dynasty and its spinoff, The Colbys, and as the father of Jill Hennesy’s coroner in NBC drama Crossing Jordan.
More recently, Howard had a recurring role on Tina Fey’s comedy 30 Rock as the genial owner of network parent company Kabletown, and played a mop executive in the Jennifer Lawrence biopic Joy as well as appearing in such films as The Wedding Ringer. Howard was seen on television in late January when he spoke from the podium at the annual SAG Awards.
Related: SAG Awards 2016: By The Numbers
In January, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story claiming Howard was “gravely ill”; and battling stage-4 prostate cancer, a story the actor’s rep categorically denied, claiming Howard was hospitalized for shingles.
SAG-AFTRA has released a statement on Howard’s passing, highlighting his various accomplishments as president:
We are deeply saddened to announce that SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard passed away today.
Ken was an accomplished actor, author, teacher and unionist whose steady leadership as president of Screen Actors Guild positioned him to guide the union’s historic 2012 merger with American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In addition to his many professional credits, awards and other laudatory work, he led the union for nearly seven years and was devoted to the interests of its membership.
SAG-AFTRA Acting President Gabrielle Carteris said, “Ken was an inspirational leader and it is an incredible loss for SAG-AFTRA, for his family and for everyone who knew him. He was a light that never dimmed and was completely devoted to the membership. He led us through tumultuous times and set our union on a steady course of excellence. We will be forever in his debt.”
National Executive Director David White said, “Ken was a remarkable leader and his powerful vision for this union was a source of inspiration for all of us. He was an exceptional person and we are deeply saddened by his passing. He had a remarkable career and he never forgot what it was like to be a working performer. The merger of SAG and AFTRA was something of a “North Star” for him and, once he fixed upon it, he never wavered from that goal. My heart goes out to his loving wife, Linda, and to their family. He will be deeply missed.”
Ken leaves a legacy of service, commitment and superlative success. He was an extraordinary actor whose career spanned Broadway, motion pictures and television. He was a Tony and Emmy Award winner and is best remembered for his groundbreaking network series “The White Shadow.”
Ken was elected to the national board of directors of Screen Actors Guild in 2008 and to the SAG presidency in 2009. He served two terms and was widely viewed as the leader of the 2012 merger that created SAG-AFTRA, ensuring meaningful representation for nearly 160,000 actors, broadcasters and recording artists now and into the future. He was appointed co-president upon merger and in 2013, became the first elected president of SAG-AFTRA and was reelected in 2015.
He led numerous union committees including chairing the television and theatrical negotiating committee through several rounds of bargaining resulting in nearly $1 billion in gains for members.
He was a hands-on leader and worked closely with national executive director David White in returning the union to fiscal stability. Howard was recognized with the George Heller Memorial Gold Card in 2015 – the union’s highest service honor, and in 2013 received the Leadership Recognition Award for his work on merging the unions.
Ken was active in the International Federation of Actors and served SAG-AFTRA and the national labor movement as vice president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO.
Following Howard’s passing, many of his fellow actors and colleagues took to Twitter to pay their condolences:
Words cannot express my sadness for the loss of my dear friend and Wedding Ringer co-star #KenHoward. Condolences to his family. RIP
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 23, 2016
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So sorry to hear about Ken Howard’s passing. Very fortunate to have seen him on Broadway — Leonard Maltin (@leonardmaltin) March 23, 2016
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Wow- shocked to hear of the passing of Ken Howard- a true gentleman & mentor since my college days, and a great president of our Union.
— donal logue (@donallogue) March 23, 2016
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Heartbroken to hear about the passing of my friend Ken Howard. He was a joy to work with as an actor & labor leader.A true force of nature. — Melissa Gilbert (@GilbertforMI) March 23, 2016
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RIP Ken Howard. He played my dad on a pilot once and told me great Mickey Mantle stories
— Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) March 23, 2016
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pic.twitter.com/MCeOC8c0mF — Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 23, 2016
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Here’s Bill Daniels, my dad, and Ken Howard on B’way in “1776”;
This just breaks my heart. #RIPKenHoward pic.twitter.com/rWbjJ3s9SA
— Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) March 23, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsActors George Clooney and Alec Baldwin also share kind words on the passing actor, issuing individual statements.
George Clooney’s statement reads:
“There’s a story about how a young actor met Ken on the Fox lot in 1983 and told him what a fan he was of The White Shadow. Ken asked that actor what he did and the young man said, “Well, someday I hope to be lucky enough to work with you.’ Then he told Ken he had an audition all the way across town at Paramount but he wasn’t going to make it because all he had was a bike. So Ken put his bike in the trunk of his car and dropped him off at Paramount. Then Ken just waved goodbye and said good luck, “I hope we do get that chance to work together.’ I didn’t get that audition, But I did get the chance to work with him years later. It was an honour. Today his obituary read that he was six foot six, but he was so much taller than that.”;
Alec Baldwin’s statement reads:
“I had known Ken most of my career, as I always remember White Shadow as a big hit on CBS. Later on, when he became president of SAG, I would see him regularly at the SAG awards. Ken was a great union leader and he made me proud to serve as SAG Ambassador for a couple of years. When Ken showed up on the 30 Rock set to play Hank Hooper, the owner of Kabletown, he reminded us all of just how funny he was. He nailed it. So often, union leaders lose a good part of their career as performers. Ken showed up, the head of SAG, and killed us with his take on the character and his timing. He was smart, talented and a doll to work with.”;