Ken Osmond Net Worth

Ken Osmond's Quotes

• It surprises me every day that this [Eddie Haskell] character is still so popular. I don't completely understand it, but it's nice.

Interesting Facts about Ken Osmond

1. Father of Christian Osmond and Eric Osmond
2. Was shot three times in the line of duty as a Los Angeles (CA) police officer. He retired on a disability because of his injuries.
3. After retiring from the police force, he made his living from various Los Angeles-based rental properties which he maintained himself.
4. Spent most of his 18 years of service assigned to Central Traffic Division where he was rarely recognized as "Leave It to Beaver"'s Eddie Haskell.
5. He was severely typed as TV's favorite insincere school-age brown-noser ("Good morning, Mrs. Cleaver!") in the late '50s and early '60s and eventually was forced to quit the business.
6. There was an urban legend that once had fans thinking Ken was actually Alice Cooper, the rock singer. This originated from a "Rolling Stone" interview with Cooper, who stated that he was "Eddie Haskell" as a child. Cooper was, of course, speaking metaphorically, but some readers interpreted it literally and the rumor spread like wildfire.
7. Due to his startling resemblance to legendary porn star John Holmes, a rumor started that Ken was actually Holmes and had quit the porn business to become an L.A. cop (supposedly, his superiors in the LAPD weren't entirely convinced that he actually wasn't Holmes, and he was called in by the Internal Affairs division to "prove" his identity. Holmes was renowned for the size of his male member, and Osmond stated that he settled once and for all the rumors that he was Holmes by a "visual aids" demonstration). Holmes actually billed himself as "the former Eddie Haskell" in several of his films, and Osmond, an ultra-conservative, was outraged and launched a $25-million suit that went all the way to the California Supreme Court. The court ruled for Holmes, however, stating that the name was protected as a satire. This case set a precedent in the matter, and is still referred to by other cases in California today. The owner of one L.A. adult movie house that had put up his marquee reading "Eddie Haskell of TV in 'Behind the Green Door' X-rated," was asked to remove the billing by none other than Officer Ken Osmond.
8. In the original "Leave It to Beaver" pilot, there was a character similar to Eddie played by another boy actor. In the third episode of the series entitled "New Neighbors," the Eddie Haskell character with Ken in the role made its debut.
9. Was a member of the American Legion.
10. He has played the same character (Eddie Haskell) on four different series: Leave It to Beaver (1957), Still the Beaver (1983), Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990) and Hi Honey, I'm Home (1991).
11. Among the many rumors spread, during his life, was that Osmond was killed in Vietnam. This emanated from discussions surrounding The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album. When papers began theorizing that Paul McCartney had died, a slew of celebrity death rumors began emanating from Hollywood.
12. Profiled in the 2016 book, "X Child Stars: Where Are They Now?", by Kathy Garver and Fred Ascher.
13. He was the son of Pearl (Hand), an agent, and Thurman Osmond, a studio carpenter and propmaker. His father was born in Texas. His mother was born in Oklahoma.
14. Kenneth Charles Osmond passed away on May 18, 2020, less than three weeks away from what would have been his 77th birthday on June 7.
15. Served in the U.S. Army Reserve as an armorer in the early 1960's.
16. Jerry Mathers claimed that Osmond was the best actor on the show because he was quite the opposite of his on-screen character.