'Leave It to Beaver' actor Ken Osmond, known for role as Eddie Haskell, dies at 76
Ken Osmond, best known as Eddie Haskell on TV's "Leave It to Beaver," has died at 76, USA TODAY has confirmed.
Osmond's representative Bonnie Vent provided a statement from the actor's son Eric: "He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father. He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed."
Osmond became well known for his role as troublemaker Eddie Haskell on the family comedy, playing the character from 1957 to 1963. Eddie was Wallace "Wally" Cleaver's mischievous friend who was always up to no good, and audiences could count on him to dream up a scheme. Osmond reprised his role in the 1983 TV movie "Still the Beaver," as well as the 1980s TV reboot "The New Leave It to Beaver" and the 1997 movie "Leave It to Beaver."
"Everyone knows an Eddie Haskell," Osmond told the Chicago Tribune in a 1992 interview. "He's the guy who you can blame things on when they go wrong. The ironic thing about 'Beaver' is that it was never a top 10 show during the original network run. It was just another family show that had enough fans to keep it on the air."
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Before his fame on "Beaver," Osmond had roles in "Annie Oakley," "Circus Boy" and "The Loretta Young Show."
After the popular sitcom ended, Osmond continued to act, finding roles in "Petticoat Junction," "The Munsters," "High School U.S.A." and "Happy Days." More recently, Osmond starred in the 2016 movie "CHARACTERz" as Daniel. But Osmond found himself to be typecast after his run as Eddie Haskell.
“In the industry that’s an absolute death sentence," Osmond said in a 2014 interview. "I would walk into a casting office and all they could see was Eddie. I couldn’t get work to save my soul. I had a few minor parts here and there, but nothing that's going to sustain life and a salary."
At one point, rumors circulated that Osmond grew up to be Alice Cooper. The story started when the rock star told a college newspaper journalist that he was "a real Eddie Haskell" as a kid – and the interview wound up saying he was "the real Eddie Haskell."
Osmond became a Los Angeles Police Department officer in 1970, serving the police force until 1988, when he retired after being shot multiple times on the job. ″I saw a flash of light and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back on the sidewalk, 10 to 15 feet away. I was not able to move. I thought I was dying," he testified about the time he was shot while working as a police offier.
Osmond also released a 2014 memoir, "Eddie: The Life and Times of America's Preeminent Bad Boy," which included a foreword from "Beaver" star Jerry Mathers.
Mathers said he will greatly miss his friend of 63 years.
“I have always said that he was the best actor on our show because in real life his personality was so opposite of the character that he so brilliantly portrayed,” Mathers said on Twitter.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore paid tribute to Osmond’s police service.
“Ken may have been a famous TV star,” Moore said in a statement, “but his real life role as Los Angeles Police Officer was where he made his biggest impact. After his successful run on one of the most popular shows of all time, he chose to protect and to serve the residents of Los Angeles, and I’m proud to have been able to call him a law enforcement partner.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ken Osmond death: 'Leave It to Beaver' star dies at 76
