J. Edward McKinley

Who was J. Edward McKinley?

J. Edward McKinley was an American character actor. He frequently played authority figures, including lawmen or medical personnel.

McKinley was born in Seattle, Washington. He got his early break in Hollywood in the late 1950s, when he began appearing in episodes of many television series. His film work included The Angry Red Planet, A Thunder of Drums, the abortion drama The Case of Patty Smith, and Blake Edwards' comedy The Party, in which he played Fred Clutterbuck, the studio head and party host.

Television roles included parts on The Donna Reed Show, Hazel, Bewitched, Surfside 6, Sugarfoot, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, Ironside, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Rockford Files, Eight Is Enough, Bret Maverick, Little House on the Prairie, The Wild Wild West, and in 1986 Highway to Heaven, his final appearance. McKinley died in Beverly Hills, California.