James Houghton, known for his role as Kenny Ward on Knots Landing and his work as a writer for The Young and the Restless, died on August 27 at his home in Encino, California. His wife, Karen Houghton, confirmed that he had been battling peritoneal mesothelioma. He was 75.
Houghton played Kenny Ward, a record producer whose troubled marriage was a key storyline in the first four seasons of Knots Landing. The show, which debuted in 1979 as a Dallas spinoff, originally focused on four couples living in a Southern California cul-de-sac. By 1983, his character and his on-screen wife, Ginger (Kim Lankford), were written out, with their departure explained as a move to Nashville.
Before his time on Knots Landing, Houghton played attorney Greg Foster on The Young and the Restless from 1973 to 1976. He later transitioned to writing for the show in 1991, earning four Daytime Emmy Awards as part of the writing team. His work helped maintain the soap opera’s longstanding popularity. He also contributed to The Bold and the Beautiful.
Born in Los Angeles on November 7, 1948, Houghton grew up in the entertainment industry. His father, Buck Houghton, produced the first three seasons of The Twilight Zone, giving him one of his earliest television roles in a 1962 episode. He continued acting throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in series such as Fantasy Island, Hotel, and Remington Steele, as well as films including I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and Superstition (1982).
In addition to his television career, he wrote The Hooligan’s Game, a crime thriller published in 2017. His philanthropic work included involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Special Olympics, and School on Wheels.
He is survived by his wife, Karen; his mother, Wanda; his sister, Mona; his children, Daniel and Alisa; his son-in-law, Jim; and his grandson, Milo.