Ken Osmond death: Leave It to Beaver star dies aged 76

Osmond reprised the role of Eddie Haskell in the 1980s in ‘The New Leave It to Beaver’

(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Ken Osmond, who made television history as Eddie Haskell in Leave It to Beaver, has died at the age of 76.

The actor died surrounded by family in his Los Angeles home, according to Variety.

Born in 1943 in Glendale, California, Osmond started out as a child actor.

His first speaking part came in the 1953 film So Big.

Later on in that decade, Osmond found mainstream fame in the sitcom Leave It to Beaver, in which he played Wally Cleaver’s best friend Eddie.

He was first featured on the show in 1957 and was supposed to be a guest performer – but his portrayal of Eddie was so successful that he remained for the show’s six seasons.

Eddie Haskell went on to become a common pop culture archetype used in reference to sycophants.

Osmond joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1970.

As a police officer, he was shot three times during a 1980 shoot-out and only suffered “minor bruises” thanks to a bulletproof jacket, The New York Times reported at the time. He retired from the police department in the 1980s.

That same decade, Osmond reprised the role of Eddie in The New Leave It to Beaver, a sequel to the original show.

Osmond was married and had two sons. One of them, Eric, told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: “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.”