Kent McCord was born to Bert and Laura McWhirter as Kent Franklin McWhirter on September 26, 1942, at French Hospital, situated in downtown Los Angeles, California.

The boy began working at his father’s Richland gas station at the age of 10, and in 1954, he found a position at Brackett Field Airport in La Verne, California.

He was under the age of 12 and could not legally be paid, but he was offered flying lessons in exchange for his job. Kent worked there for five years before going on to play football at Baldwin Park High School.

After high school, he went to Citrus Junior College for a year. In 1961, he transferred to the University of Southern California to become a physical education teacher and football coach.

Kent was asked to play in a touch football game in February 1961, on a team captained by Ricky Nelson against opponents led by Elvis Presley.

He and Ricky became friends after that, and the former put him in the successful show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” Kent also starred in two Elvis films, “Viva Las Vegas” and “Roustabout.”

He secured a deal with Universal Studios in the 1960s, which led to roles in “Dragnet” and “The Big Explosion.” His performance in the former inspired creator Jack Webb to cast the actor in “Adam-12” opposite Martin Milner.

The series was a big success, and Kent’s character, Officer Jim Reed, became famous for it. The series “Adam-12” aired from 1968 through 1975, lasting 174 episodes.

After the program ended, the actor went on to play the character of Barry Van Dyke in the ABC series “Galactica 1980” and the NBC series “UNSUB” in 1989.

He has also been active in the Screen Actors Guild, having served on its board of directors and as its vice president for four years. Kent was also the recipient of the renowned Ralph Morgan Award in 1999.

Kent McCord rose to prominence as Officer Jim Reed in the television series “Adam-12,” which premiered in 1968.

Kent worked as a reserve officer for the Los Angeles School Police Department from 2005 until 2009, after appearing in the series. He is frequently lauded for his role in “Adam-12.”

The actor is known for being humble and living a low-key life. He never misses a chance to connect with his fans and invites them to a one-on-one conversation through GalaxyCon’s virtual Meet & Greet.

Kent confessed he has had a handful of online talks with his followers over the years, which he likes, but it is quite sad they cannot meet in big groups owing to the impacts of COVID-19.

Regarding the actor’s personal life, Kent married his high school girlfriend Cynthia Lee Doty on July 14, 1962, and the pair have become parents to three kids.

Kristen McCord, his first child, was born on February 28, 1963, in Los Angeles, California. Eight years later, the family expanded when the second child, Megan McCord, was born on April 21, 1971.

Kristen Stewart and Megan Kent are both actors; Stewart co-starred in “Adam-12” and films such as “Desperate” and “Glamazon: A Different Kind of Girl,” while Megan was featured in “Women’s Story” in 2000.

During the last season of “Adam-12,” actress Kristin Harmon played Kent’s on-screen wife, Jean, who was actually married to the actor’s best friend, Ricky Nelson.

Cynthia, on the other hand, didn’t mind Kristin portraying her husband’s on-screen wife because everything was made up and the money from the series was coming in.

Kent and his wife welcomed their first child just three days before the final episode of “Adam-12,” diverting the actor’s attention away from the series conclusion.

For the following year, the actor focused on providing for his family and refurbishing his home to his specifications. Kent elaborated:

“I worked on projects at home that had built up before and after the big event. Renovating, painting, and landscaping “I hadn’t gotten around to doing half of the things I wanted to accomplish around the house.”

He then declined to perform roles since he was more concerned with and interested in being at home with his family.

Kent thought that because he had worked on several movie projects in the preceding years, his popularity with fans would not decrease if he wanted to take a sabbatical from acting.

The actor purchased a bicycle for himself and Cynthia, and the pair would ride their bikes along Route 66 in Santa Monica.

Apart from the fame and fortune that came with his role in the famous series “Adam-12,” the actor formed lasting relationships with several of the cast members.

Kent and Martin Miller became friends, and the actor and Cynthia visited Martin and his wife, Judy, on occasion.

The actor also befriended singer Julie London, who knew Cynthia and her three children. Kent and Julie were born on the same day and collaborated on “Adam-12” and “Emergency” in 1972.

Despite the fact that Julie is 16 years her senior, they had a nice connection, and the actor would contact her on their birthdays.

In addition, legendary film director John Ford was a fan of “Adam-12,” and he once paid a visit to the cast on location. He was seen talking with Kent about many parts of the program, such as the actor’s job and what it takes to produce a TV show.

Meanwhile, Kent has reprised his classic “Adam-12” character of Officer Jim Reed on several episodes, such as “Dragnet,” “The D.A.: People vs. Saydo,” and “Emergency: The Wedsworth-Townsend Act.”