I Didn't Know Ken Osmond (a.k.a. Eddie Haskell) Became a Cop

Actor Ken Osmond, best known for playing the antagonist Eddie Haskell on the 1950's and 1960's sitcom Leave It to Beaver, passed away this morning at the age of 76. No cause of death has been released.

I must admit that I've never watched much Beaver but when I have it was Osmond's portrayal of Haskell which stood out. Eddie Haskell wasn't much of a friend to Wally & the Beave though he did like to suck up to Ward and June Cleaver and any other adult within his radius. He could be described as a "frenemy" decades before the term had ever been conceived.

Like many child actors of his era including his Beaver co-stars Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow, Osmond was typecast and had trouble finding acting work. But Osmond took an unusual path - he became a cop for the LAPD.

I must confess not only did I have no idea that Osmond was a police officer but that he had been shot in the line of duty back in 1980.

For all the police procedurals on TV, Ken Osmond could have created a show with an authenticity that it would probably hurt to watch it. Indeed, the shooting led to Osmond becoming clinically depressed and eventual early retirement. Under those circumstances, Osmond probably relished the opportunity to reprise the role of Eddie Haskell when TV movie Still the Beaver and subsequent syndicated TV series The New Leave It to Beaver came along during the 1980's. After seeing humanity at its worst being typecast wasn't such a bad thing after all. R.I.P.