Kent Franklin McWhirter on September 26, 1942 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in the San Gabriel Valley town of Baldwin Park, California. A child of hard-working parents, Kent learned responsibility at an early age. He was handling his first horse, Toby, at the age of eight. At ten he began working at his father’s Richfield gas station that was located near what is now the intersection of the 10 and 605 freeways. In 1954 Kent got a job at Brackett Field Airport in La Verne, California with the help of a family friend. Unable to be legally paid at twelve years old, he instead was given flying lessons in exchange for his work. For the next five years Kent worked weekends and summers at the airport.
Kent starred on the football team at Baldwin Park High School. After graduation, he attended Citrus Junior College and then accepted a football scholarship to the University of Utah in 1962. It was during this time that perhaps the two most important events in Kent’s young life occurred.
In February of 1961, a friend asked Kent if he would like to participate in a touch football game. This was no ordinary game, as Kent would be playing on a team captained by Ricky Nelson, and none other than Elvis Presley would lead the opposing squad. As a result of this game, Kent began a friendship with Ricky Nelson that quickly led to his first acting job on the immensely popular series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. At first a background player, Kent soon became a regular on the show, and would appear on 44 episodes. Kent began to take acting much more seriously, and finally made the decision to pursue a career as an actor. During this time he worked on a mulitude of films and television shows doing bits, background and stunts.
The next big moment in Kent’s life took place on July 14, 1962. This was the day that he married his high school sweetheart, Cynthia Lee Doty.
While working on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Kent was asked to screen test at Universal Studios for a long term contract. While waiting for the studio to sign him, he continued working on other shows including several of Elvis Presley’s films, Viva Las Vegas, Girl Happy, Kissin’ Cousins, and Roustabout.
Finally, in November of 1965, Universal put Kent under contract and immediately sent him to work. He appeared in shows such as McHale’s Navy and The Virginian. Kent also tallied several appearances on Jack Webb’s Dragnet. It was his appearances on Dragnet that led Bob Cinader and Jack Webb, the producers, to cast Kent as one the stars in their brand new series: Adam-12. This would be his huge break and make him a star. With partner Martin Milner, Kent helped propel Adam-12 to the top of the ratings and into television history.
A worldwide phenomenon, Adam-12 aired from 1968-1975, a span of 174 episodes
Appearing on a top rated television show offered Kent many tremendous opportunities. Among his favorites was being a guest at the Indianapolis 500 and being trackside for the race itself. A lifelong racing fan, this was a special moment for Kent and led to his continued involvement in the sport. He has competed as a driver in automobile races such as the annual Toyota Pro Celebrity Challenge in Long Beach, California, and Watkins Glen, New York. He has also competed in several professional racing series in the Sports Car Club of America and IMSA, in such events as the 12 Hours of Sebring.
After Adam-12, Kent starred with Barry Van Dyke in the ABC series Galactica 1980, and in the 1989 NBC series UNSUB. He has recently appeared in recurring roles in the NBC series Seaquest DSV, and the USA Networks Renegade, Silk Stalkings, and Pacific Blue, as well asthe SCI-FI Channels Farscape and the hit CBS series Jag.
