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Beaverhausen

(24,470 posts) Wed Mar 23, 2016, 05:38 PM Mar 2016

Actor and SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard Dead At 71

http://deadline.com/2016/03/ken-howard-dead-actor-screen-actors-guild-president-1201725283/

SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard passed away today at the age of 71 in his home near L.A., the union announced Wednesday. The Emmy and Tony winning actor was first elected head of the Screen Actors Guild in 2009 and became one of the co-Presidents of the merged union when SAG and AFTRA finally formally joined in 2012. Howard become the sole leader of the 160,000 member strong union in 2013 and was re-elected last year.

SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice-President Gabrielle Carteris is now Acting President of the union. The former 90210 actress and long time union activist was first elected EVP of the melded union in September 2013. No cause of death was given for Howard’s passing, though rumors of his ill-health had been circulating earlier this year.

Most recently seen on the big screen in last year’s Joy and The Wedding Ringer and 2014’s The Judge with Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, the Yale-educated Kenneth Joseph Howard, Jr was born on March 28, 1944 in El Centro, California. Long before getting in front of the camera, Howard was a page at NBC’s The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in NYC while on his summer breaks from Amherst College. In 1968, Howard made his Broadway debut in Neil Simon’s Promises, Promises. Two years later, he won a Tony for his role as a school gym teacher at a Catholic boys’ school in Robert Marasco’s Child’s Play.

Originally known on the small screen for his inner city coach role in CBS’ The White Shadow from 1978 to 1981, Howard found a new generation of viewers with his appearances on NBC’s 30 Rock as the CEO of Kabletown. Howard also was a regular on the hit 80s soap Dynasty and its The Colbys spinoff. In 2009, just before becoming SAG boss, Howard won a Primetime Emmy for his supporting actor role on HBO’s Grey Gardens.