Ken Renard

Ken Renard was an actor born Kenneth Fitzroy Renwick on November 19, 1905, in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He built a career spanning stage, film, and television in the United States before his death on November 16, 1993, in Los Angeles County, California.

Renard's Broadway career extended from 1935 to 1949 and included appearances in several notable productions. Among his stage credits were The Patriots, Strange Fruit, Mr. Peebles and Mr. Hooker, A Long Way From Home, and The Respectful Prostitute. His role in Strange Fruit came in 1945, during the height of his theatrical activity.

His film work began in the early sound era and continued across several decades. Early screen appearances included Murder with Music in 1941 and Killer Diller in 1948. In the 1952 film Lydia Bailey, Renard portrayed the Haitian revolutionary leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, though the role went uncredited. He appeared in Something of Value in 1957 as Karanja, the father of Kimani, and in Home From the Hill in 1960 as Chauncey, a butler in the Hunnicutt household. Later film credits included The Chase in 1966, True Grit in 1969 as Yarnell, Sparkle in 1976 as Shimmy Dodson, Exorcist II: The Heretic in 1977 as Abbot, and Pete's Dragon that same year in an uncredited role.

Renard also maintained a steady presence in American television. He appeared in the anthology series Robert Montgomery Presents between 1950 and 1957, with a credited appearance in The Posthumous Dead in 1950. Additional television work included an episode of Thriller in 1961 as Jacob Blount, The Outer Limits in 1963 as Caretaker, The Name of the Game in 1968, and Gunsmoke in 1975 as Tonkowa.