Kenneth Washington, Star of Hogan’s Heroes, Passes Away

Kenneth Washington, widely recognized for his role in the classic 1960s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died at the age of 89.

Born on October 19, 1935, Washington portrayed a radio expert named Sergeant Baker. He began his journey in the entertainment industry during the mid-1950s.

According to a report from Variety, Washington was a well-known guest star on popular television series throughout the 1960s, including Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, My Three Sons, Petticoat Junction, Marcus Welby, MD, Adam-12, and Dragnet.

He joined Hogan’s Heroes in 1970, but his character was written out the following year. The show aired from 1965 to 1971 and spanned 168 episodes across six seasons.

Born in Ethel, Michigan, Washington and his family later moved to California, growing up in Redwood City and the San Francisco Bay Area. After passing his first screen test, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue acting. His other credits included television films like “J. Edgar Hoover,” “Money on the Side,” and “Our Family Business.”

After his acting career, he returned to academia, earning a degree from Loyola Marymount University. He eventually became an instructor there, teaching courses on black actors in film, and later taught oral interpretation and speech classes at Southwest College.

Washington was married to Alice Marshall, a former editor-in-chief of Wave Newspapers in South Los Angeles and a film review editor for Variety until 2001.

He is survived by his wife, siblings, and three children: Kim Lee, Kenneth Jr., and Kianna Stokes Washington; along with three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Washington was the last major surviving cast member of Hogan’s Heroes since Robert Clary’s passing in November 2022, along with Nita Talbot.