Photo: gdcgraphics / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ken Howard earns my respect twice over. First as an actor whose own college basketball background bled beautifully into The White Shadow, where he played a coach with lived-in authenticity. Then as a union leader who spent real energy fighting for fellow performers' rights. A career that collected a Tony in 1970 and an Emmy in 2009 spans decades of genuine recognition, and playing Jefferson in 1776 alone would secure his place. What stays with me is the breadth: not just a working actor but someone willing to shoulder the whole profession. That generosity of purpose is rarer than talent.
Overview
Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 (1972) and as high school basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow (1978–1981).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ken Howard
- Name (Japanese)
- ケン・ハワード
- Reading
- けん・はわーど
- Born
- March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Monkey
- Origin
- El Centro, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- basketball player / film actor / television actor / stage actor / trade unionist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Amherst College
Awards & achievements
- 1969 Theatre World Award
- 1970 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play
- 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Basketball player — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.