Ken Renard, born Kenneth Fitzroy Renwick on November 19, 1905 in Port of Spain, Trinidad) was an actor.

^[0]He was in the vaudeville style film Killer Diller and had a long and illustrious career in cinema.

Renard was a cast member in 55 productions between 1941 and 1982.

His earliest films were in all-black productions for African-American audiences.

Later, in mainstream films, he was usually typecadt cast in smaller roles that required someone who was non-white.

He played many Native Americans in westerns, Indians (from India), a Fiji Islander, a Siamese, an African tribal leader and numerous Caribbean islanders (including appearing as Toussaint L’Overture, the first President of Haiti who interacted with the first five U.S.

Presidents and abolished slavery in his new republic).

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His filmed work includes Home from the Hills, Adventures in Paradise, True Grit and Exorcist II.

Among his TV credits are episodes of Gunsmoke, Tarzan, Mannix, Daniel Boone, Perry Mason and Adam-12.

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He featured in an episode of the television show Bonanza in 1964 in an episode about an black opera singer and prejudices.

General Motors threatened to drop their sponsorship of the show if an episode starring black actors William Marshall, Fria Hartman, and Ken Renard aired.

After confrontations with NBC and the NAACP, as well as considerable negative publicity, General Motors reversed its position.

The episode, ‘Enter Thomas Bowers,’ was telecast on April 26 as scheduled.

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Renard died on November 16, 1993 at the age of 87 in Los Angeles County, California.

^[0]He had daughters.

Is he related to rellow actor David Renard?