Even today, the term "Eddie Haskell" is known to refer to an insincere flatterer or a sycophant.ĭuring the final years of the show, Osmond was in the U.S. Parents like Ward and June Cleaver hoped Eddie wouldn't be a model to their children but someone to point out as an example of what not to do. He was constantly trying to involve his friends in activities that would get them into trouble. Teenager Eddie Haskell was polite and obsequious to grownups, but derided adults' social conventions behind their backs. Osmond's portrayal of Eddie Haskell became a cultural reference and archetype for the "behind-your-back" rebel. He was in the episode "The Genghis Keane Story", as Harold Boggs. Osmond made a guest appearance, in 1964, on Petticoat Junction. He appeared in 97 of the series' 235 episodes. The character of Eddie was originally intended to be a "one shot" guest appearance, but those involved with the show were impressed with Osmond's portrayal, and Eddie Haskell eventually became a memorable character on the series throughout its entire six-season run. After a series of call-backs to narrow down the field, Osmond eventually landed the role. In the fall of 1957, 14-year-old Osmond was called into a typical "cattle call" audition to read for the role for which he became most identified, that of Wally Cleaver's best (and worst) friend, Eddie Haskell, on the family sitcom Leave It to Beaver. He also appeared in 1958 on the series Official Detective as Henry in the episode "The Deserted House". He continued to appear in small roles in feature films such as Good Morning Miss Dove, and Everything But the Truth, and made numerous guest-starring appearances on television series, including Lassie, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Wagon Train, Fury, Circus Boy, and The Loretta Young Show. He had his first speaking part at age 9, a small role in the film So Big starring Jane Wyman and Sterling Hayden. The first he remembered was an appearance in the film Plymouth Adventure with Spencer Tracy and Gene Tierney. Osmond began in feature films working as an extra. His mother took her sons to acting classes every day after school he eventually studied dance, drama, diction, dialects, martial arts, and equestrian riding. ![]() ![]() Osmond began going on professional auditions at the age of four, and began working in commercials. His father was a carpenter and propmaker and his mother, whom he described as "a typical movie mother," had ambitions to get him and his brother, Dayton, into acting. In 1968, I bought my first house, in ’69 I got married, and we were going to start a family and I needed a job, so I went out and signed up for the LAPD.Osmond was born in Glendale, California, the son of Pearl (Hand) and Thurman Osmond. It’s a death sentence,” Osmond told radio host Stu Stoshak in a 2008 interview on “Stu’s Show.” “I’m not complaining because Eddie’s been too good to me, but I found work hard to come by. He would give up acting and become a Los Angeles police officer. Osmond returned to making guest appearances on TV shows including “The Munsters” in the late 1960s, but found he was so identified with Eddie Haskell that it was hard to land roles. The role of Eddie in season one of “Leave It to Beaver” was also supposed to be a one-off guest appearance, but the show’s producers and its audience found him so memorable he became a regular, appearing in nearly 100 of the show’s 234 episodes. He got his first role at age 4, working in commercials and as a film extra, and got his first speaking role at 9, appearing mostly in small guest parts on TV series. Osmond was born in Glendale, California, to a carpenter father and a mother who wanted to get him into acting. “He was one of the few guys on the show who really played a character and created it,” Dow added, chuckling as he mimicked the evil laugh Osmond would unleash when his character was launching one nefarious scheme or another and trying to pull Wally and his younger brother Beaver into it. “He was a terrific guy, he was a terrific actor and his character is probably one that will last forever,” Dow told The Associated Press on Monday. ![]() He constantly kissed up to adults and kicked down at his peers, usually in the same scene, and was the closest thing the wholesome show had to a villain. Ken Osmond’s Eddie Haskell stood out among many memorable characters on the classic family sitcom “Leave it to Beaver,” which ran from 1957 to 1963 on CBS and ABC, but had a decades-long life of reruns and revivals.Įddie was the best friend of Tony Dow’s Wally Cleaver, big brother to Jerry Mathers’ Beaver Cleaver. “He had his family gathered around him when he passed. “He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father,” son Eric Osmond said in a statement. LOS ANGELES - Ken Osmond, who played the two-faced teenage scoundrel Eddie Haskell on TV’s “Leave It to Beaver,” died Monday, his family said.
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