Ken Howard, actor and SAG-AFTRA president, dies at 71

Ken Howard, a beloved actor and the president of the SAG-AFTRA guild, has died. He was 71.

Howard, whose long career stretched from the 1970s CBS show The White Shadow to 30 Rock and last year’s The Wedding Ringer, died at his home near Los Angeles. The guild did not reveal a cause of death.

“Ken was an inspirational leader and it is an incredible loss for SAG-AFTRA, for his family and for everyone who knew him,” SAG-AFTRA acting president Gabrielle Carteris said. “He was a light that never dimmed and was completely devoted to the membership. He led us through tumultuous times and set our union on a steady course of excellence. We will be forever in his debt.”

Howard, who was born in El Centro, California, = began his career in the early 1970s, making his film debut in Otto Preminger’s Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970). He also won a Tony Award in 1970 for Child’s Play and when on to play Thomas Jefferson in 1776 on Broadway and in the 1972 film.

He finally nabbed a long-running TV role when he played Ken Reeves on The White Shadow, which ran from 1978 to 1981. Other TV roles included It’s Not Easy, Dynasty, The Colbys and Murder, She Wrote.

More recently, Howard starred as Kabletown CEO Hank Hooper on Tina Fey’s 30 Rock. In 2015, he appeared in both The Wedding Ringer and <i.Joy.

Despite his long career, Howard was only nominated for one Emmy. He won Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in HBO’s Grey Gardens in 2009.

In Hollywood though, Howard is best known for his role as president of the Screen Actors Guild and oversaw its 2012 merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He was first elected SAG president in 2009.

Howard is survived by his wife, Linda Fetters Howard and three stepchildren.