Kenneth Washington, best known for portraying Sgt. Richard Baker on the final season of the CBS sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died at age 89.

The Mississippi native guest-starred in numerous TV shows throughout his career, which spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s, according to Variety. Washington spent his youth in the areas around Redwood City and San Francisco.

Kenneth Washington joined the ‘Hogan’s Heroes’ cast in 1970

Landing his first screen test prompted a relocation to Los Angeles to kick off his acting journey. His acting credits include TV films like J. Edgar Hoover, Money on the Side and Our Family Business. He also made appearances in Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, My Three Sons, The Name of the Game, Petticoat Junction, Marcus Welby, M.D., Adam-12, and Dragnet 1967.

After joining  Hogan’s Heroes as Sgt. Baker in 1970—a role cut short when CBS pulled the plug in 1971—Washington spent the decade popping up in projects like the 1973’s Westworld, as well as The Paul Lynde Show, The F.B.I., The Rockford Files and Police Story. His final on-screen appearance came in 1989 via A Different World.

In the early 1990s, Kenneth Washington retired from acting

After retiring from acting, Washington earned a degree from Loyola Marymount University, where he later worked as a lecturer. He also led a seminar on African‑American performers in cinema, before moving on to teach oral interpretation and speech at Southwest College.

In 2001, Washington married Alice Marshall, former editor‑in‑chief of Wave Newspapers in South L.A. and Variety’s film reviews editor. He is survived by wife Alice, brother Johnnie, sister Aaliyah Akbar, three children, Kim Lee, Kenneth Jr. and Quianna Stokes-Washington, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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