Ken Osmond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ken Osmond
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Osmond in 2014
|
|
| Born |
Kenneth Charles Osmond
June 7, 1943 Glendale, California, U.S.
|
| Died | May 18, 2020 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
| Occupation | Actor, police officer |
| Years active | 1952–2016 (actor) 1970–1988 (police officer) |
| Spouse(s) |
Sandra Purdy
(m. 1969) |
| Children | 2 |
Kenneth Charles Osmond (born June 7, 1943 – died May 18, 2020) was an American actor and police officer. He started acting as a child when he was four years old. Osmond was famous for playing Eddie Haskell on the TV show Leave It to Beaver from the late 1950s to early 1960s. He played the role again in the 1980s revival series The New Leave It to Beaver. Because he was so well-known for this one role, it was hard for him to get other acting jobs. So, he became a police officer in Los Angeles. After he retired from police work, he started acting again.
Contents
Early Life and Acting Start
Osmond was born in Glendale, California. His father was a carpenter, and his mother wanted him and his brother, Dayton, to become actors. Ken started going to auditions when he was four. He soon began working in commercials. His mother took her sons to acting classes every day after school. He learned dance, drama, how to speak clearly, different accents, martial arts, and even how to ride horses.
First Acting Roles
Osmond began his film career as an extra, meaning he was in the background. The first movie he remembered was Plymouth Adventure in 1952. He had his first speaking part at age nine. This was a small role in the film So Big.
He continued to appear in small roles in movies like Good Morning Miss Dove. He also made many guest appearances on TV shows. These included Lassie and Wagon Train. In 1959, Osmond played a 16-year-old named Tommy in an episode of the western series Colt .45. He also appeared on Petticoat Junction in 1964.
Becoming Eddie Haskell
In 1957, when he was 14, Osmond auditioned for the role of Eddie Haskell. Eddie was Wally Cleaver's best friend on the family TV show Leave It to Beaver. After many auditions, Osmond got the part. Eddie was only supposed to be in one episode. But everyone liked Osmond's acting so much that Eddie Haskell became a main character. He appeared in 97 episodes of the show.
Osmond's portrayal of Eddie Haskell became very famous. Eddie was polite to adults but often made fun of them behind their backs. He also tried to get his friends into trouble. Parents like Ward and June Cleaver hoped their children would not act like Eddie. Even today, if someone is called an "Eddie Haskell," it means they are insincere or overly flattering.
During the last years of the show, Osmond was in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was an armorer. He was allowed to film episodes if he also made appearances for the Army.
After Leave It to Beaver
After Leave It to Beaver ended in 1963, Osmond still appeared on TV shows. These included The Munsters and another episode of Lassie. He also acted in movies like C'mon Let's Live a Little (1967). However, he was often seen only as Eddie Haskell. This made it hard for him to find other acting jobs.
In 2008, Osmond said that being typecast was "a death sentence" in Hollywood. He explained that Eddie Haskell had been good to him, but it was hard to find work. In 1968, he bought his first house. In 1969, he got married. He needed a steady job to start a family. So, he decided to join the Los Angeles Police Department.
Life as a Police Officer
In 1970, Osmond became a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He grew a mustache so that people wouldn't recognize him as Eddie Haskell. He worked as a motorcycle officer.
In 1980, Osmond was shot three times while chasing a car thief. Two bullets were stopped by his bullet-resistant vest. The third bullet bounced off his belt buckle. He survived the shooting. He retired from the police force in 1988.
Returning to Acting
In 1983, Osmond appeared on a game show called Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. He was a celebrity guest along with other Beaver co-stars. He returned to acting that same year. He played Eddie Haskell again in the TV movie Still the Beaver. This movie showed the Cleaver boys and their friends as adults.
The TV movie was very popular. It led to a new TV series called The New Leave It to Beaver, which started in 1984. The show ran for four seasons. In this show, Osmond played Eddie Haskell as a husband and father. His two real-life sons, Eric and Christian Osmond, played Eddie's sons on the show.
In 1987, Osmond received an award for his role as Eddie Haskell. He continued to appear on TV shows in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Happy Days and Rags to Riches. He also made cameo appearances as Eddie Haskell on shows like Parker Lewis Can't Lose. In the 1997 movie Leave It to Beaver, Osmond played Eddie Haskell Sr. He also had a small part in the 2016 movie Characterz.
Personal Life
In 1969, Ken Osmond married Sandra Purdy. They had two sons, Eric and Christian. After he retired from the police force, Osmond managed rental properties in Los Angeles County. He also made occasional appearances at film festivals and fan conventions. In 2011, Osmond became a spokesman for St. Joseph Aspirin.
Osmond co-wrote a book with Christopher J. Lynch called Eddie: The Life and Times of America's Preeminent Bad Boy. It was published in 2014. The foreword, or introduction, was written by Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver Cleaver.
Death
Ken Osmond died at his home in Los Angeles on May 18, 2020. He was 76 years old. He passed away from problems related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and peripheral artery disease. His son Eric announced the news of his death.
Filmography
Films
- Plymouth Adventure (1952) – Child on Mayflower (uncredited)
- So Big (1953) – Young Eugene (uncredited)
- Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955) – Tommy Baker – Age 9 (uncredited)
- Everything But the Truth (1956) – Oren Cunningham (uncredited)
- C'mon, Let's Live a Little (1967) – The Beard
- With Six You Get Eggroll (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 Shows
- Screen Directors Playhouse (1 episode, 1955) – Henry Raglund
- Lassie (2 episodes, 1955-1967) – Motorcyclist / Ralph / Delivery Boy
- Annie Oakley (1 episode, 1956) – Scotty
- Circus Boy (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
- Official Detective (1 episode, 1957) – Henry (uncredited)
- Telephone Time (1 episode, 1957) – Charlie Sharp
- Colt .45 (1 episode, 1957) – Tommy
- The Jack Benny Program (1 episode, 1957) – Newspaper Boy
- Leave It to Beaver (1957-1963) – Eddie Haskell
- Wagon Train (1 episode, 1958) – Tommy Jenkins
- Petticoat Junction (Season 1/Episode 38; 1964) – Harold Boggs
- The Munsters (1 episode; 1966) – John
- Still the Beaver (1983, TV Movie) – Eddie Haskell
- Happy Days (1 episode; 1983) – Freddie Bascomb
- High School U.S.A. (1984, TV Movie) – Baxter Franklin
- Rags to Riches (1 episode; 1983)
- Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1 episode; 1991) – Eddie Haskell
- Hi Honey, I'm Home (1 episode; 1992) – Eddie Haskell
See also
In Spanish: Ken Osmond para niños
