• Kenneth Earl ‘Kene’ Holiday was born in Copiague, Suffolk County, New York State USA in 1949.
• He is best known for his role as Sergeant Curtis Baker in the comedy series “Carter Country”.
• He retired from acting in 2015 and is currently living a peaceful life with his wife in Los Angeles, California.
• He has appeared in over 60 movies and TV series, and has been nominated for four awards.
• His current net worth is estimated at over $300,000.
Who is Kene Holliday and where is he today?
Kenneth Earl ‘Kene’ Holiday was born in Copiague, Suffolk County, New York State USA, on 25 June 1949 – his zodiac sign is Cancer and he holds American nationality. He is an actor who is perhaps still best known for his portrayal of one of the lead characters – Sergeant Curtis Baker – in the comedy series “Carter Country”, which aired from 1977 to 1979, and which also starred Victor French and Guich Koock. The story follows a redneck sheriff and his deputy who is an educated black man – the series received mixed reviews.
Kene retired from acting in 2015, and has since been leading an apparently peaceful life with his wife in Los Angeles, California.
Childhood and education
Kene was raised in Copiague an only child, by his mother who was a seamstress and his father who was a construction worker. When Kene was 12 his father died, and his mother motivated him to go on with his life and perhaps find comfort in sports – this led Kene to start playing football at high school, and run track. He attended Copiague High School at which he was the best football player the school had ever seen, and was thus nicknamed ‘Mr. Hotshot’, as he scored numerous goals on the field.
After matriculation in 1967, Kene enrolled at the University of Maryland after being offered a scholarship, and while attending his second year there, he became interested in acting, and played a lead role in the university’s yearly play.
Kene graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971, and then went on to work at the Folger Shakespeare Library located in Washington, D. C. However, as he began abusing drugs and alcohol, Keen was fired from the job – he would continue to use drugs and drink almost daily for the following 14 years.
Kene’s mother died in December 2010, after having fought Alzheimer’s disease for years.
Roles in TV series
Kene has been credited with appearing in over 60 movies and TV series, and we are about to mention some of his most notable performances in this article.
He made his debut TV series appearance in 1976, when cast to guest star as Assistant D. A. Dunn in the episode “A Shield for Murder” of the action crime drama “Kojak”, while the following years saw him appear in single episodes of many series, such as “The Incredible Hulk” in 1978, the mystery medical drama “Quincy, M. E.” in 1979, and the comedy “Soap” in 1980.
He gained recognition in 1985 when he was invited to voice Roadblock, one of the lead characters in the animated action adventure series “G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero” also starring Jackson Beck and Christopher Collins, and follows a group of elite soldiers fighting terrorists.
Kene continued appearing in a single episode of many series – three of his final roles in TV series before retiring from acting were in the action comedy medical crime drama “Diagnosis Murder” in 1996, the crime drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 2005, and the police procedural drama “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” in 2008.
Roles in movies
One of Kene’s first notable performances in movies was in the crime mystery drama “See China and Die”, written and directed by Larry Cohen, and which also starred Esther Rolle and Frank Converse – the story follows a maid who is trying to find out who killed her boss.
In 1984, Kene portrayed Major Clark in the science fiction movie “The Philadelphia Experiment”, starring Michael Pare, Bobby Di Cicco and Nancy Allen, and which follows two sailors living in 1943 who find themselves in 1984 after their experiment goes wrong.
A couple of Kene’s following roles in movies were in the comedy drama “No Small Affair” also in 1984, the drama “Badge of the Assassin” in 1985, and the animated action adventure movie “G. I. Joe: The Movie” in which he voiced Roadblock.
Three of his final and most notable performances in movies were in the comedy “If It’s Tuesday, It Still Must be Belgium” in 1987, the 1991 biographical movie “The Josephine Baker Story”, and the drama “Handle Your Business” in 2015.
Awards
Kene has been nominated for four awards for his performances, in the 2007 film “Great World of Sound” winning a Newport International Film Festival Best Actor Award for Best Male Performance.
The other nominations were for a Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor (2007), an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male (2008), and a Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor (2008).
Wife Linda Copling
Kene has been married three times; his first wife was Janifer Baker, an actress who died on 18 May 1984, and might still be known today for her role in the 1982 crime drama sport film “Penitentiary II”. They were married for several years, and Janifer gave birth to their child before they divorced– it’s believed that Janifer filed for divorce because Kene couldn’t stop drinking.
He went on to marry a non-celebrity woman, Dolly, who gave birth to their child, but after less than three years of being together, they divorced quietly. In the early ‘90s, Kene met Linda Copling, a writer known for her book “Woman of God: A Dedicated Vessel: A Memoir”, and she helped him overcome his problems with alcohol. They married on 6 April 1996, and then traveled together while preaching in gospel musicals.
Kene and Linda agreed not to have children, so as of October 2020, Kene is married to his third wife and has two children from his two former marriages.
Hobbies and other interests
At one point of his life, Kene’s main hobby was drinking alcohol and causing problems – on 30 December 1988, he had an argument with someone, smashed the person’s house windows and then got into his car, crashing into another car parked nearby. Kene was arrested on a number of occasions for driving while intoxicated, and was fired from the series “Matlock” in 1989 because of his alcohol abuse.
Kene has been into travelling since he married Linda, and the two have been all around the world together – they have been to every US state, and also to many European countries including Sweden, England and Spain.
They are both lovers of animals, but don’t have any pets because they still occasionally travel.
Kene has his own favorite actor and actress who are Elvis Presley and Emma Watson, and a few of his favorite movies are “Viva Las Vegas”, “Blue Hawaii” and the franchise “Harry Potter”.
Net worth
Kene’s age is 71. He has short black hair and brown eyes, his height is 5ft 11ins (1.8m) and he weighs around 160lbs (72kgs).
As of October 2020, his net worth has been estimated at over $300,000.