Ken Foree's TV work often shows him in an altogether different light, as in the 39 episodes of the family comedy series Kenan & Kel (1996-1999). His many other TV roles including Rollo in The Dukes
After Dawn of the Dead, Ken Foree played Little John in another Romero film Knightriders (1981). He was in more horror films in the early 90s, with appearances as Benny in Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990); Billy in Hangfire (1991); Eddie Turner in Joshua Tree (1993); Detective Rolands in the horror
A more recent film appearance was in Rob Zombie's sadistically violent The Devil's Rejects (2005) starring Sid Haig, in which Ken Foree plays the brothel owner
Ken's website lists his interests away from acting
He was also involved in theatre work at this time, when the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself in the shape of an audition for George Romero's second 'Dead' film Dawn of the Dead (1978). Foree auditioned and landed the leading role of Peter Washington, a member of the Police Authority's SWAT team. With the land overrun by zombies, Peter and a colleague, along with 2 TV station workers, escape by helicopter and take refuge in a shopping mall. All is well until the zombies begin to overrun that as well! Foree appears as the 'Televangelist' in the 2004 remake of the film.
Then, quite by chance, he met an actress friend who was on her way to a Broadway audition and she jokingly asked Ken to go there with her. The result was that he auditioned too - and got the leading role! He needed some formal training so he enrolled for a while at the Michael Schulman Performing Gallery in New York.
Foree's first film part came in 1976 in a sports comedy about baseball called The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars & Motor Kings and was followed a year later with a starring role in an episode of Kojak with Telly Savalas.
Before that though, he opened a photography studio in Manhattan, New York, but three months later his plans were ruined when the studio was ransacked and he lost everything.
Ken Foree was born Kentotis Alvin Foree, in Indianapolis, in 1948. His family were noted for their academic and political achievements, so it might have come as a surprise to them to see Ken become an actor!
I met Ken Foree in 2005 at the NEC in Birmingham. He signed my Dawn of the Dead poster and a photograph of him from the film. He added the words, "Scary, isn't it?"
I bumped into him again at London's Earls Court in September 2007 and had a chat to him. He is one of the friendliest people you could wish to meet.
Early publicity shot
The Televangelist
In Knight Rider
Ken Foree as Peter Washington in Dawn of the Dead
Ken Foree signing my poster
of Ken Foree
In Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3
Ken Foree as Carl in Brutal Massacre
As Roger Rockmore in Kenan & Kel
As Charlie Altamont in The Devil's Rejects
As Stanis in Brotherhood of Blood
"Scary, isn't it?" Ken Foree signed this photo to me
Ken Foree
Click on a name below to take you to that page
Ken Foree as Mortimer Reyes in Zone of the Dead
In the beautifully shot film Water for Elephants (2011), based on Sara Gruen's best-selling novel, Ken Foree plays a security guard, Max. The film, which received much critical praise, stars Robert Pattinson & Reese Witherspoon.
Ken Foree as the Barman in Dead Bones
Ken Foree as Max in Live Evil
Ken Foree as Bubba Brownlee
Ken as Big Joe Grizzly in Halloween
Ken Foree as Detective Gibbs in The Dentist
horror video Sleepstalker (1995) and Detective Gibbs in The
Dentist (1996).
He then completed another horror thriller with Sid Haig, Brotherhood of Blood (2007). In this Ken plays Stanis, a vampire who has his fangs forcibly removed. He is later shot, and then exposed to the sun! The sameyear
owner Charlie Altamont, half-brother to the murderous Captain
"Captain Spaulding". This film did particularly well at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in 2006, with seven wins and two more nominations.
in From Beyond
Ken Foree also has a role in Rob Zombie's remake of the classic 1978 horror film Halloween (2007). He played Big Joe Grizzly, a truck
truck driver who confronts the murderous Michael Myers, is knifed to death and has his clothes stolen!
same year, he appeared as Carl Perkins in the horror comedy Brutal Massacre (2007).
Thirty years after Ken Foree's famous role as Peter in Dawn of the Dead (1978) came a similar one inas
in a similar film Zone of the Dead (2009). In this he stars as an Interpol agent Mortimer Reyes who has to escape from hoards of zombies. Filmed entirely in Serbia, it was released on DVD as Apocalypse of theDe
the Dead. The huge number of YouTube hits for the trailer of this film make it the most popular
popular zombie trailer ever!
Ken Foree's most recent film was another horror thriller written and directed by Rob Zombie The Lords
of Salem (2013), in which the residents of Salem, Massachusetts are visited by a 300-year-old coven of witches. In this he stars as Herman Jackson, one third of 'The Big H Radio Team', Salem's Number one radio show, whose DJ mistakenly unleashes a hellish curse on the town.
Rob Zombie
Robert Pattinson & Ken Foree in Water for Elephants
Ken as Herman Jackson
in The Lords of Salem
Dukes of Hazzard (1981), Bubba in Hill Street Blues (1982), Danton in Knight Rider (1986), Leonard Mosher in L.A.Law (1988), Howard in Dallas (1990) & Parmelly in The X Files (1995).
I was really delighted to meet Ken again at Memorabilia held at the Birmingham NEC in November 2012, when he signed my masterprint of Dawn of the Dead. I gave him a printed copy of his webpage which he thanked me for, and then I had this super photograph taken with him.
VIDEOS
Two film 'shorts' have Ken Foree in their credits. He plays Santa in Black Santa's Revenge (2007), hunting a group of thugs who have stolen all the toys he was to give the town's poor children. In horror western Dead Bones (2008) he plays the barman in the half-abandoned village where a criminal fugitive is hiding.
As Vincent Parmelly in The X Files
acting as weightlifting, surfing, boxing, watching Hoosier basketball, travelling and history.
He currently lives in Los Angeles.