Ken Osmond, best known for his role as the troublemaker Eddie Haskell on the television comedy “Leave It to Beaver,” died on Monday morning. He was 76.
From Policeone.com
Osmond was a member of the LAPD from 1970-1988 and survived two shooting incidents during his career. In 1980, he was shot in the chest while chasing a suspected car thief and wearing a bulletproof vest. Two slugs were stopped by the vest and a third ricocheted off his belt buckle, according to a 1988 Los Angeles Times report. A month later, a bullet fired by a security guard came close enough to part Osmond’s hair.
Osmond, who worked as a motorcycle cop, fought the department for a disability pension based on concerns that going back on the job would exacerbate depression triggered by the attacks. The pension was at first denied by the Board of Pension Commissioners, which was forced to grant it retroactively by a court ruling on appeal.
The car theft suspect was later sentenced to death in another man’s murder.
Yes, Ken became a Cop. He was a wise guy on ‘Leave it to Beaver.’ He got that lousy role because Beaver’s father made him do it. That’s my theory. May he rest in peace.