Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. was born on March 28, 1944, in El Centro, California USA, to Martha Carey and Kenneth Joseph Howard, Sr., a stockbroker. He was an actor, best known for playing Thomas Jefferson in the musical “1776”, and Ken Reeves in the television series “The White Shadow”. He passed away in 2016.
A noted actor, how wealthy was Jeff Howard? According to sources, Howard had amassed a net worth of over $2 million collected during his acting career between 1966 and 2015.
Ken Howard Net Worth $2 million
Howard grew up in Manhasset, New York, along with his brother Don Howard, who was also an actor, credited for directing the play “Deathtrap”. He attended Manhasset High School, playing for the school’s varsity basketball team. He continued to play basketball at college as well, attending the Amherst College in Massachusetts. In addition, he studied acting at Yale School of Drama, but didn’t complete his education here, as his acting career quickly took off.
Howard made his foray into the acting world on Broadway, landing his first role in the musical “Promises, Promises” in 1968. His breakthrough came the following year, when he was cast as Thomas Jefferson in the musical “1776”; with his popularity boosted, his net worth started to grow.
After his performance in “1776” gave Howard a jump start to his career on Broadway, the year 1970 saw him making his big screen debut, starring as Arthur in the film “Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon”. The same year he earned a Tony Award for his performance as Paul Reese in the play “Child’s Play”. His wealth grew larger.
Many other opportunities followed. Aside from reprising his role of Jefferson in the film adaption of “1776”, he went on with Broadway projects, appearing in “Seesaw”, “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue”, “The “Norman Conquests” and “Equus”. As for television, he starred in the ’70s series “Adam’s Rib” and “The Manhunter”, and appeared in several TV films, all adding to his net worth.
In 1978, Howard was cast in the CBS television series “The White Shadow”, with the lead part of basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves. The role cemented his status as a true star, enabling him to net good money as well. He remained on the show until its cancellation in 1981.
The ’80s saw Howard starring in the TV film “Father Damien”, and in the CBS afternoon special “The Body Human: Facts for Boys”, winning an Emmy Award for the latter project. Other notable parts included in the film “Second Thoughts” and the TV series “It’s Not Easy”, among numerous other television appearances.
Howard’s credits of the ’90s included big-budget films such as “Oscar”, “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Net”, and he was also active on television, appearing in series such as “Murder, She Wrote” and “Melrose Place”. Reinforcing his popularity, his net worth further increased.
In the following years, the actor tackled a mix of television and film work, landing parts in films “In Her Shoes”, “Rambo”, “Michael Clayton”, “The Numbers Game” and “J. Edgar”, and in series such as “Crossing Jordan”, “Cane”, “30 Rock” and “The Young and the Restless”. He also starred in the one-man play “According to Tip”. His last role came in the 2015 film “Joy”.
Aside from acting, Howard also taught master classes at the American Repertory Theatre Institute, and served as an instructor at Harvard University and Harvard Law School. He also released a book called “ACT NATURAL: How to Speak to Any Audience”. All contributed to his wealth.
In his personal life, Howard was married three times, firstly to actress Louise Sorel, lasting from 1973 to 1975, then to writer Margo Howard in 1977, divorcing her in 1991. In 1992 he married Linda Fetters Howard, a stuntwoman, with whom he remained until his death. Howard died in 2016, aged 71
Howard was involved in philanthropy, having served as Chancellor of the National Kidney Foundation, and having been involved in several other philanthropic organizations.
