Ken Osmond, best known to TV viewers as Leave It to Beaver suck-up Eddie Haskell, has died, Osmond’s manager confirms to TVLine. He was 76.
“He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father. He had his family gathered around him when he passed,” his son, Eric, said in a statement. “He was loved and will be very missed.”
Osmond originated the role of smart-aleck-next-door Eddie on the CBS sitcom and played him for the show’s entire, six-season run. He later reprised the character in a TV movie (Still the Beaver), a sequel series (The New Leave It to Beaver) and a theatrical film (1997’s Leave It to Beaver), as well as on the short-lived TV shows Parker Lewis Can’t Lose and Hi Honey, I’m Home!.
In addition to playing Wally’s slick scamp of a friend, Osmond held several other TV roles throughout his career. He started his Hollywood run as a child actor in films, eventually going on to have guest parts in Petticoat Junction, Lassie, The Munsters, Happy Days and Rags to Riches, among other series.
Per our sister site Variety, Osmond joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1970. He was shot multiple times during a foot chase in 1980 but was saved by both a protective vest and his belt buckle, off which the final bullet ricocheted. He retired in 1988.
Ken Osmond, Who Played Leave It to Beaver's Eddie Haskell, Dead at 76
