---
name: "Ken Howard"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ken-howard"
fi1m_id: "ken-howard"
imdb_id: "nm0397432"
tmdb_id: 18328
wikidata_id: "Q1320640"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "28 March 1944"
died: "23 March 2016"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T23:29:29.733233+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ken Howard

## Identity

Ken Howard

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ken-howard
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** ken-howard
- **IMDb ID:** nm0397432
- **TMDB ID:** 18328
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1320640
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Howard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1320640, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397432/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/18328

Actor. Born 28 March 1944 in El Centro, California, USA. Died 23 March 2016.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 28 March 1944, El Centro, California, USA
- **Died:** 23 March 2016
- **Active:** 1994–2007
- **Also known as:** Кен Ховард, کن هاوارد
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 1 Emmy (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 75 (1), 2000s 86 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Howard, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1320640, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397432/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/18328

## Biography

Ken Howard (1944–2016) was an American actor. He made his Broadway debut in the late 1960s and won a Tony Award for his performance in *Child's Play* (1970). Early film roles included Thomas Jefferson in *1776* (1972).

He starred as high-school basketball coach Ken Reeves in the CBS series *The White Shadow* (1978–1981). Later film appearances included *Clear and Present Danger* (1994), *Michael Clayton* (2007) as Don Jeffries, *Rambo* (2008), *J. Edgar* (2011), *The Judge* (2014) and *Joy* (2015).

Howard served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2009 to 2012 and as the first president of SAG-AFTRA from 2012 until his death.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, sagaftra.org, apnews.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Michael Clayton* (2007), Fi1m 86, as Don Jeffries — [page](https://film.one/film/michael-clayton.md)
- *Clear and Present Danger* (1994), Fi1m 75, as Committee Chairman — [page](https://film.one/film/clear-and-present-danger.md)

## Complete filmography (96)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Joy* (2015), as Mop Executive
- *The Wedding Ringer* (2015), as Ed Palmer
- *The McCarthys* (2014), series, as Coach Colwell
- *The Judge* (2014), as Judge Warren
- *Better Living Through Chemistry* (2014), as Walter Bishop
- *A.C.O.D.* (2013), as Gary
- *J. Edgar* (2011), as Harlan Fiske Stone
- *Fairly Legal* (2011), series, as Charles Pease
- *Blue Bloods* (2010), series, as Malcolm
- *A Numbers Game* (2010), as Harold
- *The Beacon* (2009), as Oficer Ford
- *Grey Gardens* (2009), as Phelan Beale
- *2:13* (2009), as Sheriff Sedgewick
- *Smother* (2008), as Gene Cooper
- *Eli Stone* (2008), series, as Thomas Hayes
- *Under Still Waters* (2008), as Conrad
- *Rambo* (2008), as Arthur Marsh
- *Michael Clayton* (2007), as Don Jeffries — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/michael-clayton.md)
- *Dirty Sexy Money* (2007), series, Actor
- *Cane* (2007), series, as Joe Samuels
- *Sacrifices of the Heart* (2007), as Thane Weston
- *Arc* (2006), as Santee
- *30 Rock* (2006), series, as Hank Hooper — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/30-rock.md)
- *Brothers and Sisters* (2006), series, as Boyd Taylor
- *Conviction* (2006), series, as Judge Hanford
- *In Her Shoes* (2005), as Michael Feller
- *Ghost Whisperer* (2005), series, as Rachel Fisher
- *Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story* (2005), as William Ford
- *The Closer* (2005), series, as Wes Durant
- *The Office* (2005), series, as Ed Truck — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-office-2005.md)
- *Boston Legal* (2004), series, as Judge Walter Yardley — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/boston-legal.md)
- *Cold Case* (2003), series, as Harry Kemp Jr. (1958)
- *George Lopez* (2002), series, as Dr. Woodson
- *Crossing Jordan* (2001), series, as Max Cavanaugh
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, as Ken Abbot — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder* (2000), as Alex Hunter
- *Perfect Murder, Perfect Town* (2000), series, as Alex Hunter
- *The West Wing* (1999), series, as Judge Peyton Cabot Harrison III — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-west-wing.md)
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Dr. Arlen Rieff
- *Family Law* (1999), series, as Reardon
- *At First Sight* (1999), as Virgil's Father
- *A Vow to Cherish* (1999), as John Brighton
- *Tactical Assault* (1998), as General Horace White
- *Something Borrowed, Something Blue* (1997), as Senator John Farrell
- *The Practice* (1997), series, as Frank Patanki
- *Arli$$* (1996), series, as Coach Rusty Kraft
- *Her Hidden Truth* (1995), as Jack Devereaux
- *The Net* (1995), as Bergstrom
- *OP Center* (1995), as The President
- *OP Center* (1995), series, as The President
- *One West Waikiki* (1994), series, Actor
- *Clear and Present Danger* (1994), as Committee Chairman — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/clear-and-present-danger.md)
- *Moment of Truth: To Walk Again* (1994), as Ed Keating
- *Diagnosis: Murder* (1993), series, as Special Agent Dunleavy, David Clarke
- *Ulterior Motives* (1993), as Malcolm Carter
- *Mastergate* (1992), as Secretary of State Courtleigh Bishop
- *Batman: The Animated Series* (1992), series, as Hartness (voice)
- *Melrose Place* (1992), series, as George Andrews
- *Memories of Midnight* (1991), series, as Kirk Reynolds
- *Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story* (1991), as Bill Smart
- *Oscar* (1991), as Kirkwood
- *The Man in the Brown Suit* (1989), as Gordon Race
- *Strange Interlude* (1988), series, as Sam Evans
- *Rage of Angels: The Story Continues* (1986), as Adam J. Warner
- *Rage of Angels: The Story Continues* (1986), series, as Adam J. Warner
- *The Colbys* (1985), series, as Garrett Boydston
- *The Golden Girls* (1985), series, as Jerry — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-golden-girls.md)
- *He's Not Your Son* (1984), as Michael Saunders
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Hank Shipton, Bill Boyle, Max Hagen, Matt Kinkaid, Barnes
- *Glitter* (1984), series, Actor
- *The Hitchhiker* (1983), series, as Dubois
- *It's Not Easy* (1983), series, as Jack Long
- *The Thorn Birds* (1983), series, as Rainer Hartheim
- *Second Thoughts* (1983), as John Michael
- *Rage of Angels* (1983), series, as Adam Warner
- *Hotel* (1982), series, as Bill Tillery
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, as Pudd'nhead Wilson, Sam Evans
- *Victims* (1982), as Joe Buckley
- *The Country Girl* (1982), as Bernie Dodd
- *Dynasty* (1981), series, as Garrett Boydston
- *Damien: The Leper Priest* (1980), as Father Damien
- *A Real American Hero* (1978), as Danny Boy Mitchell
- *The White Shadow* (1978), series, as Ken Reeves
- *The Critical List* (1978), series, as Nels Freiberg
- *Superdome* (1978), as Dave Walecki
- *The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer* (1977), as Major Asa B. Gandiner - Prosecuting Attorney
- *Independence* (1976), as Thomas Jefferson
- *The Manhunter* (1974), series, as Dave Barrett
- *Manhunter* (1974), as Dave Barrett
- *Adam's Rib* (1973), series, as Adam Bonner
- *1776* (1972), as Thomas Jefferson
- *The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie* (1972), as Virgil
- *Such Good Friends* (1971), as Cal
- *Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon* (1970), as Arthur
- *Medical Center* (1969), series, Actor
- *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Defense Attorney

## Gallery

- ![Ken Howard in trailer for "1776" (1972) (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/99558/gallery-ab88fadd2e34.jpg) Ken Howard in trailer for "1776" (1972) (2013) — Trailer for "1776" (1972), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Ken-howard-trailer.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Ken Howard](https://film.one/media/person/99558/gallery-3e147d1bce87.jpg) Ken Howard — gdcgraphics, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Ken_Howard_2014.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Ken Howard photo (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/99558/gallery-502e1519e6d5.jpg) Ken Howard photo (2016) — KenHoward1000, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Ken_Howard_photo.jpg/1280px-Ken_Howard_photo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ken Howard](https://film.one/media/person/99558/gallery-d0b8816ef0e5.jpg) Ken Howard — Image via TMDB
- ![Ken Howard](https://film.one/media/person/99558/gallery-7cbfe15c8965.jpg) Ken Howard — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 2009: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *Grey Gardens*

### Other awards — 2 won

- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 1970: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (won)
- Theatre World Award 1969: Theatre World Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ken-howard