Ken Howard

LOS ANGELES — Ken Howard, the strapping character actor who starred in the 1970s TV drama “The White Shadow” and was currently serving as president of SAG-AFTRA, has died at age 71.

The union announced Howard’s death Wednesday. No cause was given.

In the acclaimed CBS series “The White Shadow,” which aired from 1978-81, he starred as a white coach for an urban high school basketball team — a part that drew on the personal history of the 6-foot-6 actor, who played basketball growing up on Long Island in New York and at Amherst College. The series’ title came from Howard’s nickname as the only white starter on the Manhasset High varsity team.

He was a staple character actor on TV, starring with Blythe Danner in “Adam’s Rib” in the 1970s and appearing as the chipper boss Hank Hooper on “30 Rock” decades later.

In early seasons of NBC’s “Crossing Jordan,” which premiered in 2001, he played the father of star Jill Hennessy, a retired police detective who gave advice to his daughter, a forensic pathologist. His other TV credits included “Cane,” “West Wing,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Practice,” “Boston Legal,” “Law & Order: SVU,” and “The Office.”

Howard played Thomas Jefferson on Broadway in “1776,” a role he reprised in the 1972 film and won a Tony for the drama “Child’s Play.”

After his film debut opposite Liza Minnelli in 1970s’ “Tell Me That You Love Me,” his films included “Rambo,” “In Her Shoes,” “Michael Clayton,” and last year’s “Joy” with Jennifer Lawrence. He won an Emmy for his performance in HBO’s “Grey Gardens” in 2009.

Howard was elected Screen Actors Guild president in 2009 and was a catalyst for its 2012 merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union, representing 160,000 actors, broadcasters and recording artists.

He was the first president of SAG-AFTRA and was re-elected to the post last year.