Actor earned his master’s in 1999

Kent alumnus Ken Howard recently won an Emmy for best supporting actor.

“Grey Gardens,” an HBO movie, cast Howard alongside Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. The two actresses played a mother and daughter of the same name, Edith Beale. The two were aunt and first cousin to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and famously lived in squalor in a mansion.

Howard’s role as Phelan Beale, a rich tycoon who built the house and Lange’s ex-husband, won him the Emmy.

Howard received his Master’s in Fine Arts in theatre from Kent in 1999.

“He’s a great director and a wonderful actor,” said Cynthia Stillings, director of the School of Theatre and Dance. “We’re proud he got an M.F.A. from Kent.”

Stillings said it is inspiring for the students to see an alumnus of the theatre program doing so well in his career.

Howard has appeared in countless movies and sitcoms including “Boston Legal”, “Law and Order” and even “The Golden Girls.”

The Web site imdb.com lists him in 92 sitcoms and TV movies.

Contact performing arts reporter Nicole Hennessy at [email protected].