Ed Bernard of Police Woman and White Shadow Dies at 86
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- Ed Bernard died Jan. 23 in Northridge, California, at age 86, with the news confirmed by his son Edward B. Bernard, who called him 'a devoted father, a proud grandfather and a man of deep curiosity'
- Bernard launched his screen career in 1971 with a role in Gordon Parks' 'Shaft,' then picked up credits in Peter Yates' 'The Hot Rock' and Barry Shear's 'Across 110th Street' in 1972
- Bernard was cast in 1974 as Detective Joe Styles on NBC's 'Police Woman,' playing the role for all four seasons across 90 episodes while the show racked up seven primetime Emmy nominations
- Bernard joined Bruce Paltrow's 'The White Shadow' in 1978 as Principal Jim Willis, appearing in 33 episodes through 1980
- Bernard logged additional TV work on 'Hardcastle and McCormick,' 'Life with Lucy,' 'Doogie Howser, M.D.,' 'ER,' and 'Cold Case,' and performed onstage in a 1969 production of 'Five on the Black Hand Side' at the American Place Theatre
- Bernard was born in Philadelphia on July 4, 1939; he is survived by sons Edward and Mark Sheldon Bernard and grandchildren Liz, Joshua, Samantha, and Alexandra, while his wife of 44 years, Shirley Mae Bernard, died in 2005
Why it matters: Bernard logged 90 episodes on 'Police Woman' — a primetime drama that headlined Angie Dickinson as an undercover cop and was nominated for seven Emmys — and 33 episodes on 'The White Shadow,' one of TV's early acclaimed series set in an inner-city high school. His career arc from 'Shaft' in 1971 to 'Cold Case' decades later, with theater work in between, marks him as a working character actor whose steady presence anchored two culturally significant 1970s series.
