Ken Howard, who starred in the 1970s series “The White Shadow”, had notable guest roles in such programs as “30 Rock” and was the head of the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union, died Wednesday. News of Howard’s passing was addressed on the SAG-AFTRA website with no specific cause of death provided at this time.
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Growing up on Long Island, Howard had been the only white player on his high-school basketball team and was given the nickname “The White Shadow”.
An actor for almost 50 years, Howard came to union leadership late in his career led by friends who asked him in 2008 to help them stabilize the then-troubled Screen Actors Guild.
He was first elected as union president in 2009 on a campaign to combine the Screen Actors Guild with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2012. Combined, the groups represent 160,000 actors, broadcasters and recording artists.
SAG-AFTRA acting president Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement: “Ken was a remarkable leader and his powerful vision for this union was a source of inspiration for all of us”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
Howard went on to appear in other series, including “Dynasty”, “Murder, She Wrote” and (even) “Melrose Place”. That same month, the actor was elected president of the SAG. He received a Tony in 1970 for his part as a phys-ed teacher at a Catholic boarding school for boys in Robert Marasco’s long-running thriller “Child’s Play”.
Paris Barclay, president of the Directors Guild of America, saluted Howard as an industry leader in working to protect the rights of performers. 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. Howard won an Emmy for HBO’s film “Grey Gardens”.
Kenneth Joseph “Ken” Howard, Jr., who would have turned 72 next week, was born in El Centro, Calif.to Kenneth Joseph and Martha Carey Howard.
More recently, he appeared in the hit TV show “30 Rock” alongside Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. “In addition to his many professional credits, awards and other laudatory work, he led the union for almost seven years and was devoted to the interests of its membership”.
Howard was previously married to Margo Howard, the daughter of Ann Landers and a former advice columnist herself.
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Survivors include his wife, retired stuntwoman Linda Fetters Howard, and three stepchildren.
