‘Mama’s Family’ Actor Ken Berry Dead At 85

TV actor, singer and dancer Ken Berry, who is mostly known for his appearances on “Mama’s Family,” “Fantasy Island” and “F Troop,” passed away on Dec. 1 in Burbank, California. He was 85.

The sad news was confirmed by Berry’s ex-wife Jackie Joseph-Lawrence. “With very deep sorrow, I must inform friends of Ken Berry that he died a short time ago,” Joseph-Lawrence posted on her Facebook page. The cause of his death was not disclosed.

Kenneth Ronald Berry was born on Nov. 3, 1933 in Moline, Illinois. His parents were Darrell and Bernice Berry. Before breaking into television, he started out as a dancer.

Berry was part of the popular touring group The Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program and toured the U.S. and Europe for 15 months. He visited several U.S. Air Force bases overseas during his work with the group.

He was also part of the U.S. Army and was assigned to Fort Bragg, which is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

During his acting years, Berry appeared on several TV shows, including “Dr. Kildare,” “F Troop” and “Mama’s Family,” according to Huffington Post. He played the role of Dr. John Kapish in “Dr. Kildare.” He was seen in “F Troop” alongside co-star Larry Storch, who paid tribute to the late actor on social media.

“Ken, we hope you know how much you were loved. Goodnight Captain. We miss you already,” Storch wrote on his Facebook account.

He was also part of “Mayberry R.F.D. ” and “The Carol Burnett Show.” He portrayed the character Sam Jones in 78 episodes of “Mayberry R.F.D.” Meanwhile, he appeared as himself on “The Carol Burnett Show ” He also had his own show called “The Ken Berry WOW Show,” which aired in 1972.

From 1978–1982, Berry made several appearances on various TV shows. He portrayed different characters when he guest starred on “Fantasy Island.” He was also on the following shows: “The Love Boat,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Wake Me When the War is Over,” “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “CHiPs,” “Small Wonder,” “The Golden Girls” and “The Julie Andrews Hour.”

Aside from TV shows, Berry did some acting for big screen titles, such as “Hello Down There,” “Guardian of the Wilderness,” “Herbie Rides Again” and “The Cat from Outer Space.”

The late actor also did some uncredited roles. He portrayed the role of a hotel room service waiter in 1964 on “The Lively Set.” He also appeared as Larry in 1962’s “Two for the Seesaw” and even danced with Shirley MacLaine in the movie.