Kenneth Washington, a veteran actor best known for joining Hogan’s Heroes in its final season and for guest-starring on countless classic television shows of the 1960s and 1970s, has died. He passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on July 18. He was 88.
Washington made history as the last surviving main cast member of Hogan’s Heroes, the CBS World War II-set comedy that ran from 1965 to 1971. He portrayed Sergeant Richard Baker during the show’s sixth and final season after the departure of Ivan Dixon.
A frequent presence on the small screen during the golden age of television, Washington appeared in iconic series such as Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, My Three Sons, The Name of the Game, Petticoat Junction, Marcus Welby, M.D., Adam-12, and Dragnet 1967. He also appeared in the 1973 sci-fi cult classic Westworld and continued acting in series like The Rockford Files, The F.B.I., and Police Story. One of his final credited roles came in 1989 opposite Jasmine Guy in A Different World.
Born October 19, 1935, in Ethel, Mississippi, Washington was raised in Northern California after his family relocated to the Bay Area. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time after receiving his first screen test.
Beyond his work in front of the camera, Washington pursued education later in life. He earned his college degree from Loyola Marymount University and eventually became an instructor there, teaching a course on Black actors in film. He also taught speech and oral interpretation at Southwest College, continuing his passion for storytelling and performance through education.
In 2001, Washington married Alice Marshall, a respected journalist who formerly served as editor-in-chief of Wave Newspapers and was a film reviews editor for Variety.
He is survived by his wife Alice, his brother Johnnie, his sister Aaliyah Akbar, his children Kim Lee, Kenneth Jr., and Quianna Stokes-Washington, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Washington’s passing marks the end of a television chapter, but his work—both on-screen and in the classroom—leaves a lasting legacy.