Ken Jenkins (born August 28, 1940) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Bob Kelso, the chief of medicine on the American comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009). He has also had notable appearances in many popular TV shows.

Early life

Jenkins was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater ...

and graduated from Wilbur Wright High School, Ohio in 1958.

Career

In 1969, Jenkins joined Actors Theatre of Louisville under the leadership of Jon Jory, where he served as a company member for three years. Jenkins appeared on episodes of '' Homefront'', ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Televi ...

'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', '' Wiseguy'', ''

Early Edition ''Early Edition'' is an American fantasy comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996, to May 27, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each ''Chicago Sun-Times ...

'', and ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran ...

'', and starred in '' Scrubs'' in the first eight seasons as a main cast member and guest-starred in the ninth and final season. His character, Dr. Bob Kelso, is his most recognizable role to date. Jenkins has appeared in many films throughout his career, including ''

The Wizard of Loneliness ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'', '' Executive Decision'', '' The Abyss'', '' Air America'', '' Last Man Standing'', '' Fled'', '' Gone in 60 Seconds'', '' I Am Sam'', '' The Sum of All Fears'', '' Matewan'', ''

Courage Under Fire ''Courage Under Fire'' is a 1996 American war film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan. It is the second collaboration between Washington and director Zwick. The film was released in the United States on July 12 ...

'', and the 1998 remake of ''

Psycho Psycho may refer to: Mind * Psychopath * Sociopath * Someone with a personality disorder * Someone with a psychological disorder People with the nickname * Karl Amoussou or Psycho, mixed martial artist * Peter Ebdon or Psycho, English snook ...

''. He appeared as Fran Goldsmith's father in

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high ...

's TV miniseries, ''

The Stand ''The Stand'' is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which the few survivi ...

''. Jenkins also had a role in ''

Clockstoppers ''Clockstoppers'' is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Jonathan Frakes and produced by Gale Anne Hurd and Julia Pistor. The film stars Jesse Bradford, Paula Garcés, French Stewart, Michael Biehn, Robin Thomas, ...

''. Jenkins also had a recurring role on '' Cougar Town'', as Jules- (played by

Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom '' Friends'', which aired from 199 ...

) father. Jenkins appears in The Blanks' music video for "Guy Love" as the owner of an L.A. bar, as he appeared with The Blanks in ''Scrubs'', most prominently band member Sam Lloyd, who starred as regular

Ted Buckland TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depar ...

. Jenkins portrayed Representative Howard W. Smith in the 2016 HBO TV movie '' All the Way'', in which Smith's segregationist views posed as a central and divisive opposition to President Lyndon B. Johnson's proposal of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration req ...

. Jenkins was the voice of Blister on '' Harvey Beaks''. Jenkins can also sing and play the acoustic guitar, and is seen doing so on the ''Scrubs'' episodes "

My Tuscaloosa Heart The first season of the American comedy television series ''Scrubs'' premiered on NBC on October 2, 2001 and concluded on May 21, 2002 and consists of 24 episodes. ''Scrubs'' was created by Bill Lawrence who wrote the pilot as well as 3 other ...

" and " My Musical", and in the ''Cougar Town'' episode "You Don't Know How It Feels".

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Ken 1940 births American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Antioch College alumni Living people Male actors from Louisville, Kentucky Male actors from Dayton, Ohio