Ken Osmond, a child actor known for his role as Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver,” has died at the age of 76.
Osmond died Monday at his home in Los Angeles. No cause of death was given.
In a statement, Osmond’s son Eric remembered him as “an incredibly kind and wonderful father.”
“He had his family gathered around him when he passed,” Eric Osmond said. “He was loved and will be very missed.”
As an actor, Osmond was best known for playing the rebellious character of Eddie Haskell on the 1950s sitcom “Leave It to Beaver.” The teenage character was a friend of Beaver’s (Jerry Mathers) older brother Wally (Tony Dow) and was notorious for the way he’d pretend to be the perfect child in the presence of adults, while acting out when they weren’t around.
Osmond appeared on 97 episodes of the show across its six seasons and later reprised his role as a series regular on the Disney Channel revival, “The New Leave It to Beaver” in 1984. He also had guest roles on shows including “Lassie,” “Petticoat Junction” and “The Munsters.”
In 1970, Osmond joined the Los Angeles Police Department, serving as an officer until he was struck by five bullets during a chase with a suspected car thief and placed on disability before his retirement in 1988.