Ken Osmond, Actor Who Played Eddie Haskell, Dies At 76

LOS ANGELES, CA — It takes talent to make a conniving sycophant lovable, but Ken Osmond managed to do just that playing the wily troublemaker Eddie Haskell in "Leave It to Beaver."

Osmond, the child actor who breathed life into one of the most memorable characters in TV history, died at 76 Monday. Though the world knew him for his performance as Wally and the Beaver's troublesome friend, Osmond spent nearly 20 years as a Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer, taking multiple bullets on the job.

Osmond, who died at his Los Angeles home suffered from respiratory issues, Henry Lane, his former partner at the LAPD, told Variety. The family did not identify the cause of his death. His son issued a statement through his father's manager.

"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," Eric Osmond said.

Jerry Mathers, who played the Beaver alongside Osmond, shared his grief with fans.

"I will greatly miss my lifelong friend Ken Osmond who I have known for over 63 years," Mathers, who starred as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, tweeted.

"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. RIP dear friend."

Osmond was just 14 when he won the role of Haskell, and he would reprise the role repeatedly throughout his life. He played the iconic character from 1957 to 1963 and again in a 1983 reboot called "The New Leave It to Beaver" with other members of the original cast, as well as for the feature "Leave It to Beaver" in 1997.

When the run of "Leave it To Beaver" ended, Osmond joined the Army and later picked up some roles on popular shows like "Petticoat Junction" and "The Munsters.

Writer-director Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous," "Jerry McGuire") posted an autographed photo that Osmond personalized for him and tweeted: "Eddie Haskell is one of the greatest characters ever. Ken Osmond destroyed every scene, and when the show was over, he dropped the mic to become a cop. Classic."

Crowe added that he `always dreamed Jeff Spicoli was a distant relative of the Haskells, referring to the stoner surfer character played by Sean Penn in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," based on Crowe's book and screenplay.

Born in Glendale, Osmond made his film debut with his brother Dayton as a child extra in "Plymouth Adventure," starring Spencer Tracy, according to his biography on the Internet Movie Database at imdb.com. Osmond landed his first speaking role at age 9 in the film "So Big," starring Jane Wyman and Sterling Hayden.

Osmond was a member of the LAPD from 1970-1988 and survived two shooting incidents during his career. In 1980, he was shot in the chest while chasing a suspected car thief and wearing a bulletproof vest. Two slugs were stopped by the vest and a third ricocheted off his belt buckle, according to a 1988 Los Angeles Times report. A month later, a bullet fired by a security guard came close enough to part Osmond's hair.

Osmond, who worked as a motorcycle cop, fought the department for a disability pension based on concerns that going back on the job would exacerbate depression triggered by the attacks. The pension was at first denied by the Board of Pension Commissioners, which was forced to granted it retroactively by a court ruling on appeal.

The car theft suspect was later sentenced to death in another man's murder.

In addition to Eric, Osmond is survived by another son, Christian, and his wife Sandy.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.