Michael Keenan, Picket Fences and Dallas actor, dies at 80
By Natacha Maloon|
Actor Michael Keenan, who played Mayor Bill Pugen on the CBS series Picket Fences, has died at the age of 80.
Deadline reports that Keenan passed away on April 30 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA from causes unrelated to COVID-19.
From 1987 to 2015, Keenan directed plays at the USC Theatre School. He also performed in more than 100 productions for their theatre companies.
"With his inimitable combination of technical brilliance, artistic perception, and dry wit, Michael Keenan inspired legions of students as a studio teacher and, perhaps most poignantly, as a stage director," David Bridel, dean of the USC School of Dramatic Arts told the outlet on May 4.
Born on December 12, 1939, in Los Angeles, Keenan was a part of the choir at the San Francisco Opera in 1951. He graduated from Loyola High School and did a bachelor's degree at Santa Clara University.
The actor had a slew of TV credits to his name that included roles in Starsky and Hutch (1977), Cheers (1990), WKRP in Cincinnati (1979), Picket Fences (1992-1993), Dallas (1978) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).
Keenan also portrayed Baron van Swieten in Peter Hall's Tony-nominated revival of Amadeus between 1999-2000.
He is survived by his sisters-in-law Diana, Sally and Jan and eight nieces and nephews. A memorial will be held for Keenan at a later due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
