Ken Osmond, the Mischievous Eddie Haskell on 'Leave It to Beaver,' Dies at 76

Hollywood Reporter ^ | 5/18/2020 | Mike Barnes

[sodpoodle]

He played the notorious troublemaker on two versions of the show; in between, he was a motorcycle cop for the LAPD.

"He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father," his son said Monday in a statement. "He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed."

Osmond was 14 in 1957 when he hired for what was supposed to be a one-episode gig and went on to appear on 96 of the original series' 234 installments over six seasons. When Leave It to Beaver returned with an updated version in 1983, he returned to acting, as well.

In between the two programs, Osmond spent 18 years with the Los Angeles Police Department. In 1980, a suspected car thief shot him three times, leaving him severely wounded and effectively ending his days on the job.

As the best friend of Wally Cleaver (Tony Dow), Eddie was well-mannered and the epitome of polite when interacting with the adults of the show, especially Barbara Billingsley's character — "My, you look lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver" — but was mean to Wally's younger brother, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (Jerry Mathers).

He stirred up trouble for the first of many times when he, Wally and Beaver spy the couple moving in next door to the Cleavers on the series' fifth episode.

"Boy, are you going to have creepy neighbors," he tells Wally in his first scene. "Just look at the stuff that came in: No dogs, no cats, no fishing poles, no kids, just a crummy canary." Then, after Mrs. Donaldson (Phyllis Coates of Lois Lane fame) gives the Beaver a peck on the cheek as thanks for bringing her flowers as a welcoming gift, Eddie gets the poor kid worried: "Suppose her husband finds out?"

[MayflowerMadam]

We call our male cat Eddie Haskell sometimes. When he wants something he goes into super-schmooze mode. So funny.