Howard took home a Theatre World Award for his performance and topped himself with a Tony Award winning performance in "Child's Play," in which he played a gym teacher at a haunted Catholic boarding school. The newcomer aligned himself with another hit in 1969, portraying Thomas Jefferson in "1776," a musical based on the events surrounding the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. In 1967, he landed a bit part in the long-running Broadway musical "Promises, Promises," which earned a Tony nomination for Best Musical and was also noted for its musical score by the great Burt Bacharach. Following his graduation from Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he lent his baritone to a school a cappella group, Howard pursued a master's degree at the Yale University School of Drama. Ken Howard died on Maat the age of 71.īorn on March 28, 1944, Howard was raised in Manhasset, Long Island, NY, where as a 6'6" teen he played center on the Manhasset High School basketball team. Longer-running recurring roles on "Crossing Jordan" (NBC, 2001-07), "Melrose Place" (Fox, 1992-99), "Dallas" (CBS, 1978-1991) and "Cane" (CBS, 2007) assured that the prolific character player maintained his name recognition throughout his career, though his onscreen presence invariably brought up fond memories of the groundbreaking, racially mixed television series that established his career. Meanwhile, he starred as many an athlete and protective family man in decades of made-for-television movies. That quality led Howard to be cast in countless guest roles as judges, doctors and men of the cloth on procedural dramas and sitcoms alike. Howard's most memorable headlining television role was that of a retired NBA player-turned-coach of an inner city high school basketball coach on "The White Shadow" (CBS, 1978-1981), which showcased his talent for conveying authority and leadership softened by an emotional accessibility. A Tony Award-winning Broadway actor at the beginning of his career, Ken Howard enjoyed a few leading primetime television roles in the 1970s, but spent the majority of his career as a prolific character actor in film and on television.
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