Ken Jenkins

Ken Jenkins is an American actor born on August 28, 1940, in Dayton, Ohio, where he later graduated from Wilbur Wright High School in 1958. His Broadway career spanned from 1962 to 1996 and included productions such as Summer and Smoke, The Moon Besieged, and Big River. In 1969, Jenkins joined the Actors Theatre of Louisville as a company member under the direction of Jon Jory, a position he held for three years.

Jenkins is perhaps most widely recognized for his portrayal of Dr. Bob Kelso, the chief of medicine on the American comedy series Scrubs, which ran from 2001 to 2010. He served as a main cast member through the first eight seasons before returning as a guest in the ninth and final season. His work on the series extended beyond acting, as Jenkins demonstrated his ability to sing and play acoustic guitar in the episodes "My Tuscaloosa Heart" and "My Musical."

His film work spans several decades and includes The Abyss, Matewan, Air America, Executive Decision, Courage Under Fire, Last Man Standing, Fled, Gone in 60 Seconds, I Am Sam, The Sum of All Fears, The Wizard of Loneliness, and the 1998 remake of Psycho, among others. Jenkins also appeared as Fran Goldsmith's father in the television miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, and had a role in Clockstoppers.

On television, Jenkins made appearances on Homefront, Wiseguy, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5, The X-Files, Early Edition, and Beverly Hills, 90210. He held a recurring role on Cougar Town as the father of Jules, played by Courteney Cox, and again displayed his musical abilities in that series' episode "You Don't Know How It Feels." Jenkins portrayed U.S. Representative Howard W. Smith in the 2016 HBO television film All the Way, in which Smith's segregationist opposition to President Lyndon B. Johnson's Civil Rights Act of 1964 served as a central conflict. He also provided the voice of Blister on the animated series Harvey Beaks, and appeared in The Blanks' music video for "Guy Love" as the owner of a Los Angeles bar.