Kenneth Charles Osmond (June 7, 1943May 18, 2020) was an American actor and police officer. Beginning a career as a child actor at the age of four, Osmond played the role of Eddie Haskell on the late 1950s to early 1960s television situation comedy '' Leave It to Beaver'' and reprised it on the 1980s revival series '' The New Leave It to Beaver''.

Typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

by the role, he found it hard to get other acting work and became a Los Angeles police officer. After retiring from police work, he resumed his acting career.

Early life

Osmond was born in Glendale, California, the son of Pearl (Hand) and Thurman Osmond. His father was a carpenter and propmaker and his mother, whom he described as "a typical movie mother," had ambitions to get him and his brother, Dayton, into acting. Osmond began going on professional auditions at the age of four, and began working in commercials. His mother took her sons to acting classes every day after school; he eventually studied dance, drama, diction, dialects, martial arts, and equestrian riding.

Career

Early years

Osmond began in feature films working as an extra. The first he remembered was an appearance in the film '' Plymouth Adventure'' with

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

and Gene Tierney. He had his first speaking part at age 9, a small role in the film '' So Big'' starring

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

and

Sterling Hayden Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor and decorated Marine Corps officer and an Office of Strategic Services' agent during World War II. A leading man for mos ...

. He continued to appear in small roles in feature films such as '' Good Morning Miss Dove'', and '' Everything But the Truth'', and made numerous guest-starring appearances on television series, including '' Lassie'', ''

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...

'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', '' Fury'', ''

Circus Boy ''Circus Boy'' was an American adventure family western that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1957. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960. Summary Set in the late 1890s, the title of the ser ...

'', and '' The Loretta Young Show''. He also appeared in 1958 on the series ''

Official Detective ''Official Detective'' is an American anthology television series which aired in syndication from 1957 to March 19, 1958. The series was hosted by veteran film actor Everett Sloane.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: P ...

'' as Henry in the episode "The Deserted House". In 1959, Osmond played 16-year-old "Tommy" in the episode "Dead Aim" of the ABC/

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

western series '' Colt .45,'' starring

Wayde Preston Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the ABC/ Warner Bros. Western television series, '' Colt .45''. Background ...

John Doucette John Arthur Doucette (January 21, 1921 – August 16, 1994) was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he p ...

was cast as the bounty hunter Lou Gore, and Bing Russell portrayed Jed Coy in the episode. Osmond made a guest appearance, in 1964, on ''

Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and ...

''. He was in the episode "The Genghis Keane Story", as Harold Boggs.

''Leave It to Beaver''

In the fall of 1957, 14-year-old Osmond was called into a typical "cattle call" audition to read for the role for which he became most identified, that of Wally Cleaver's best (and worst) friend, Eddie Haskell, on the family sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver''. After a series of call-backs to narrow down the field, Osmond eventually landed the role. The character of Eddie was originally intended to be a "one shot" guest appearance, but those involved with the show were impressed with Osmond's portrayal, and Eddie Haskell eventually became a memorable character on the series throughout its entire six-season run. He appeared in 97 of the series' 235 episodes. Osmond's portrayal of Eddie Haskell became a cultural reference and

archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...

for the "behind-your-back" rebel. Teenager Eddie Haskell was polite and obsequious to grownups, but derided adults' social conventions behind their backs. He was constantly trying to involve his friends in activities that would get them into trouble. Parents like

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

and

June Cleaver June Evelyn Bronson Cleaver is a principal character in the American television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver''. June and her husband, Ward, are often invoked as the archetypal suburban parents of the 1950s. The couple are the parents of two sons, ...

hoped Eddie wouldn't be a model to their children but rather someone to point out as an example of what not to do. Even today, the term "Eddie Haskell" is known to refer to an insincere flatterer or a sycophant. During the final years of the show, Osmond was in the

U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 20 ...

as an

armorer Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, ...

and was granted leave to film episodes in return for personal appearances for the Army's Special Services. Ken Osmond 1962

Typecast

After ''Leave It to Beaver'' ended in 1963, Osmond continued to make occasional appearances on such television series as

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's ''

'', ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

'', and a final return appearance on '' Lassie'' in the episode "A Matter of Seconds" (1967) as a motorcycle delivery man who offers the hitchhiking collie a lift in his sidecar. He was cast in the feature films '' C'mon Let's Live a Little'' (1967) and ''

With Six You Get Eggroll ''With Six You Get Eggroll'' is a 1968 American romantic comedy film directed by Howard Morris and starring Doris Day, Brian Keith, Barbara Hershey, George Carlin, and Pat Carroll. It was the first film that was produced by the CBS Television Ne ...

'' (1968). However, he found himself

typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

as Eddie Haskell and had difficulty finding steady work. In 2008, Osmond told radio host Stu Shostak in a radio interview, "I was very much typecast. It's a death sentence. In Hollywood you get typecast. I'm not complaining because Eddie's been too good to me, but I found work hard to come by. In 1968, I bought my first house, in '69 I got married, and we were going to start a family and I needed a job, so I went out and signed up for the LAPD."

Law enforcement

In 1970, Osmond joined the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

(LAPD) and grew a mustache in an effort to remain relatively anonymous among average citizens, although not his co-workers. He worked as a motorcycle officer. On September 20, 1980, Osmond was struck by three bullets while in a foot chase with a suspected car thief. He was protected from two of the bullets by his

bullet-resistant vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...

, with the third bullet ricocheting off his belt buckle. The shooting was later dramatized in a November 1992 episode of the CBS series ''

Top Cops ''Top Cops'' is a documentary program broadcast in the United States on the CBS television network from 1990 to 1993. Reruns aired on the USA Network in 1996. Each episode of ''Top Cops'' consisted of two to three segments featuring commende ...

''. Osmond applied for a disability pension in 1984, but after an evidentiary hearing in 1986, the Los Angeles Board of Pension Commissioners denied his request by a 4–2 vote. Osmond appealed the determination to the Superior Court and in 1988 a judge overturned the Board's denial and awarded Osmond a lifetime pension, and he retired from the force.

Urban legends

In the early 1970s, a story was widely reported that Osmond had become rock star

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

. According to Cooper, the rumor began when a college newspaper editor asked him what kind of kid he was, to which Cooper replied, "I was obnoxious, disgusting, a real Eddie Haskell." However, the story ended up reporting that Cooper was the real Eddie Haskell. Cooper would later tell the '' New Times'', "It was the biggest rumor that ever came out about me. Finally, I got a T-shirt that said 'No, I am not Eddie Haskell.' But people still believed it." Another widely reported urban legend of the 1970s was that Osmond had grown up to become adult film star John Holmes. The story apparently began when fan magazines falsely reported that Osmond had embarked on such a career. The rumor was dispelled when a Los Angeles movie theater lit up its marquee advertising "Eddie Haskell of TV in ''

Behind the Green Door ''Behind the Green Door'' is a 1972 American feature-length pornographic film, widely considered one of the genre's "classic" pictures and one of the films that ushered in The Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984).Williams, p. 299 Featuring Marilyn ...

'' X-rated", prompting Osmond himself, then an LAPD officer, to go to the theater to request that the manager remove his character's name from the marquee. Osmond testified at his disability hearing in 1986 that in 1971 he was called into LAPD Internal Affairs and asked to disrobe to prove he was not John Holmes. In the early 1980s, Osmond sued an

adult bookstore A sex shop is a retailer that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, pornography, and other related products. An early precursor of the modern sex shop was a chain of stores set up in th ...

in Los Angeles called "Le Sex Shoppe", which was selling an adult video starring Holmes. The video advertised that the film featured "'Little Eddie Haskell' from 'Leave it to Beaver.'" Osmond claimed that the film's advertising defamed him, but the trial court dismissed the case and Osmond appealed to the California Court of Appeals, which also ruled against him, stating that there was no evidence that the owner of the bookstore was aware of the defamatory language on the packaging and therefore had not acted with "malice" in selling the video.

Return to acting

In 1983, Osmond appeared as a game show participant and celebrity guest star on the ''

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour ''The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour'' is an American television panel game show that combined two panel games of the 1960s and 1970s – ''Match Game'' and ''Hollywood Squares'' – into an hour-long format. The series ran from October 31, ...

'', along with ''Beaver'' co-stars

Jerry Mathers Gerald Patrick Mathers (born June 2, 1948) is an American actor best known for his role in the television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963, in which he played the protagonist Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the y ...

, Richard Deacon and Jeri Weil. Osmond returned to acting in 1983 reprising his role as Eddie Haskell in the CBS made-for-television movie '' Still the Beaver'', which followed the adult Cleaver boys, their friends, and their families. The television movie was a success and led to the revival comedy series '' The New Leave It to Beaver'', which premiered the following year. The show ran for four seasons from 1984 to 1989, starting on

The Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

, and later moving to WTBS. On the show, Osmond played Eddie Haskell as a husband and father, while his character's two sons, Freddie Haskell and Edward "Bomber" Haskell Jr., were played by Osmond's two real-life sons, Eric Osmond and Christian Osmond. In 1987, Osmond was honored by the

Young Artist Foundation The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role as Eddie Haskell. He continued to make television appearances throughout the 1980s and 1990s on the shows ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most su ...

'' and ''

Rags to Riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popul ...

'', and the television movie '' High School U.S.A.'', as well as

cameo appearances A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

as Eddie Haskell on such television shows as ''

Parker Lewis Can't Lose ''Parker Lewis Can't Lose'' is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on Fox from September 1990 to June 1993. It was produced by Clyde Phillips Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television. During the last season, the s ...

'' and '' Hi Honey, I'm Home!''. In the 1997 feature film '' Leave It to Beaver'', Osmond played Eddie Haskell Sr., and Adam Zolotin played his son Eddie Haskell Jr. He also had a bit part in the 2016 indie movie '' Characterz''.

Personal life

In 1969, Osmond married Sandra Purdy. They had two sons, Eric E. Osmond and Christian S. Osmond. Following his retirement from the police force, Osmond handled rental properties in Los Angeles County and made occasional personal appearances at film festivals, collectors' shows, and nostalgia conventions. On September 18, 2007, Osmond filed a

class action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...

lawsuit against the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

, alleging that SAG had collected $8 million in foreign residuals for U.S. actors but had not distributed them to the actors. In August 2011, Osmond began appearing as a celebrity spokesman for St. Joseph Aspirin. Osmond was the co-author, along with Christopher J. Lynch, of the book ''Eddie: The Life and Times of America's Preeminent Bad Boy'', which was published in September 2014. The foreword was written by

Death

Osmond died at his home in Los Angeles on May 18, 2020, at age 76, from complications of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

(COPD) and

peripheral artery disease Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an abnormal narrowing of arteries other than those that supply the heart or brain. When narrowing occurs in the heart, it is called coronary artery disease, and in the brain, it is called cerebrovascular dis ...

. News of his death was first announced by his son Eric in a statement through Osmond's representative.

Filmography

Films

* '' Plymouth Adventure'' (1952) – Child on Mayflower (uncredited) * '' So Big'' (1953) – Young Eugene (uncredited) * ''

Good Morning, Miss Dove ''Good Morning, Miss Dove'' is a 1955 DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope film that tells the sentimental story of a beloved schoolteacher who reflects back on her life and former students when she is hospitalized. It stars Jennifer Jones, Robert Stack ...

'' (1955) – Tommy Baker – Age 9 (uncredited) * '' Everything But the Truth'' (1956) – Oren Cunningham (uncredited) * ''

C'mon, Let's Live a Little ''C'mon, Let's Live a Little'' is a 1967 film directed by David Butler. It stars Bobby Vee and Jackie DeShannon. This was the last film directed by Butler, who began acting on screen in 1917 and had been directing since the late 1920s. Plot Enr ...

'' (1967) – The Beard * ''

'' (1968) – Duke (uncredited) * ''Dead Women in Lingerie'' (1991) – David * '' Leave It to Beaver'' (1997) – Eddie Sr. * ''Desperation Boulevard'' (1998) – Himself * '' Characterz'' (2016) – Daniel (final film role)

TV

* ''

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...

'' (1 episode, 1955) – Henry Raglund * '' Lassie'' (2 episodes, 1955-1967) – Motorcyclist / Ralph / Delivery Boy * ''

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

'' (1 episode, 1956) – Scotty * ''

'' (1 episode, 1956) – Skinny * '' Fury'' (1956-1957) – Kenny / Johnny * '' Letter to Loretta'' (1 episode, 1957) – Peter * '' The Walter Winchell File'' (1 episode, 1957) – Joel Marisch * ''

'' (1 episode, 1957) – Henry (uncredited) * ''

Telephone Time ''Telephone Time'' is an American anthology drama series that aired on CBS in 1956, and on ABC from 1957 to 1958. The series features plays by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season. Frank C. Baxter hosted the 1957 and 1958 seasons. The prog ...

'' (1 episode, 1957) – Charlie Sharp * '' Colt .45'' (1 episode, 1957) – Tommy * ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' (1 episode, 1957) – Newspaper Boy * '' Leave It to Beaver'' (1957-1963) – Eddie Haskell * ''

'' (1 episode, 1958) – Tommy Jenkins * ''

'' (Season 1/Episode 38; 1964) – Harold Boggs * ''

'' (1 episode; 1966) – John * '' Still the Beaver'' (1983, TV Movie) – Eddie Haskell * ''

'' (1 episode; 1983) – Freddie Bascomb * '' High School U.S.A.'' (1984, TV Movie) – Baxter Franklin * ''

'' (1 episode; 1983) * ''

'' (1 episode; 1991) – Eddie Haskell * '' Hi Honey, I'm Home'' (1 episode; 1992) – Eddie Haskell

References

External links

*
Ken Osmond
at TVGuide.com
Ken Osmond
at TVLand.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Ken 1943 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American shooting survivors Respiratory disease deaths in California Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Los Angeles Police Department officers Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Glendale, California Military personnel from California Writers from Glendale, California