Kene Holliday is a 76-year-old American actor best known for playing private investigator Tyler Hudson on Matlock, with an estimated net worth of $500,000 to $1.5 million and no independently verified height on record.
Born Kenneth Earl Holliday on June 25, 1949, in Copiague, New York, he built a decades-long career across stage, film, and television before stepping away from acting in the 2010s. This guide separates verified facts from the guesswork that dominates most bio sites.
Quick Facts Table
| Fact | Detail |
| Full name | Kenneth Earl Holliday |
| Also known as | Kene Holliday, Kene Holiday |
| Born | June 25, 1949 |
| Age (2026) | 76 |
| Birthplace | Copiague, Suffolk County, New York |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, poet, evangelist |
| Years active | 1971–2011 |
| Height | Not publicly verified |
| Spouse | Linda Copling (married 1996) |
| Previous spouses | Janifer Baker Holloway; Darlene Collins |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Net worth (estimated) | $500,000–$1.5 million |
| Best known for | Tyler Hudson on Matlock; Sgt. Curtis Baker on Carter Country; voice of Roadblock in G.I. Joe |
Who Is Kene Holliday?
You might know his face before you know his name. Holliday played Ben Matlock's original private investigator, Tyler Hudson, on the hit legal drama Matlock, and earlier starred as Sgt. Curtis Baker on Carter Country from 1977 to 1979.
His path to Hollywood started far from a stage. He grew up in Copiague on Long Island, was raised Baptist, lost his father at age 12, and became a track and football star at Copiague High School before graduating in 1967. A full football scholarship took him to the University of Maryland, where a theater history class changed his direction entirely.
Kene Holliday's Age, Birthday, and Zodiac
Holliday was born June 25, 1949, which makes him 76 as of his most recent birthday in 2026. His zodiac sign is Cancer, a water sign known for loyalty — fitting, given his decade-long second career caring for his mother and preaching alongside his wife.
Kene Holliday's Height: What's Actually Confirmed
Here's the honest answer: no verified height figure exists for Kene Holliday. IMDb's personal-info section leaves it blank. No SAG-AFTRA casting record, news profile, or official biography lists a number.
Several smaller sites display a specific height anyway. Treat those as filler, not fact — this article won't guess just to fill a table cell.
Career Timeline: From Football Scholarship to Hollywood
Curious how a UMD football player ended up starring opposite Andy Griffith? The path ran through Washington, D.C. theater first.
| Date | Event |
| 1969 | Plays Yank in The Hairy Ape at the University of Maryland, becoming the first Black actor in a lead role on the school's main stage |
| Mid-1970s | Joins the Folger Shakespeare Library's Inaugural Theater Group and co-founds the D.C. Black Repertory Company |
| 1976 | Moves to Los Angeles after a breakout stage run in Streamers, guest-starring on Kojak, Soap, and The Jeffersons |
| 1977–1979 | Stars as Sgt. Curtis Baker in Carter Country |
| 1985–1987 | Voices Roadblock in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: The Movie |
| 1986–1989 | Plays Tyler Hudson on Matlock |
| Dec 30, 1988 | Arrested for drunk driving after a dispute outside a residence |
| Feb 2, 1989 | Becomes sober and has said he never relapsed afterward |
| 1989 | Fired from Matlock over ongoing substance-abuse concerns |
| 1996 | Marries Linda Copling |
| 2007 | Stars in Great World of Sound, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male |
| Dec 2010 | Mother Marian Holliday dies after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, at age 85 |
| 2011 | Last credited screen role, in the independent film The Human War |
Why Was Kene Holliday Fired From Matlock?
Producers Fred Silverman and Dean Hargrove chose Holliday as their first pick for the role opposite Andy Griffith, and the pairing worked — for a while. But addiction caught up with the production. He missed multiple episodes during season three while receiving outpatient rehab treatment, and in one candid quote he admitted, "I was a functioning, executive-minded alcoholic." He was let go in 1989, though he'd already gotten sober by the time the show made that call.
If you enjoy stories about actors whose careers spanned decades of Hollywood change, our profile of Terence Hill's life and career covers a similarly long run in film and television.
Kene Holliday Net Worth 2026: Separating Fact From Guesswork
Here's where most competitor pages fall apart. Take a look at what's actually being published right now.
| Source claims | Net worth listed |
| Site A | $1 million–$5 million |
| Site B | $500,000 |
| Site C | $323,846,544 (clear template error) |
| This article's estimate | $500,000–$1.5 million |
Personal Life: Marriages, Children, and Faith
Family life has been a bigger part of Holliday's story than most bio pages let on.
- Marriages: He has been married three times — to Janifer Baker Holloway, then Dolly Holiday/Darlene Collins, and finally to Linda Copling since April 6, 1996.
- Children: He has two sons from his earlier marriages.
- Faith: Following his departure from Matlock, Holliday became a traveling evangelist, spending years preaching in gospel musicals alongside his wife.
- Caregiving: In 2002, he paused his career to become his mother's full-time caregiver as she lived with Alzheimer's disease, later becoming a member of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.
That caregiving chapter overlapped with his biggest career comeback. While caring for his mother, he accepted the lead role in Great World of Sound in 2007, a performance that earned him his only major awards recognition.
Fans of classic-television family stories might also enjoy Jenny Lee Arness's profile, covering the daughter of Gunsmoke star James Arness — a similar era of network drama.
What Is Kene Holliday Doing Now?
Public records point to a quiet, faith-centered life rather than a dramatic "disappearance." His last credited screen work came in 2011's The Human War, not 2015 as several sites incorrectly state. No news outlet has reported his death, and Wikipedia lists his current age as 76 with no death date recorded — meaning he is presumed alive as of 2026, based on available public information.
Kene Holliday FAQs
How old is Kene Holliday in 2026?
Kene Holliday is 76 years old, born June 25, 1949, in Copiague, New York. This birthdate is confirmed by Wikipedia, IMDb, and contemporaneous news coverage from his acting career. No source disputes this figure.
How tall is Kene Holliday?
No verified height exists in any public record, including IMDb and SAG-AFTRA-linked databases. Some smaller sites list a specific number, but none cite a source. This is one of the few genuinely undocumented facts about him.
What is Kene Holliday's net worth?
A reasonable estimate places his net worth between $500,000 and $1.5 million, based on decades of TV, film, and voice-acting income. No financial filing confirms an exact number. Figures circulating elsewhere, from $500,000 to over $300 million, show inconsistent, unverified sourcing rather than real research.
Why was Kene Holliday fired from Matlock?
He was let go in 1989 after ongoing alcohol and drug dependency caused missed filming days during the show's third season. He had already completed outpatient rehab by that point. He became sober on February 2, 1989, and has said publicly that he never relapsed.
Is Kene Holliday still married?
Yes. He has been married to Linda Copling since April 6, 1996, his third marriage. The couple spent years afterward working together as traveling evangelists in gospel ministry.
Is Kene Holliday still alive?
Based on all currently available public records, yes. Wikipedia lists his age as 76 with no recorded death date, and no news outlet has reported otherwise. This reflects public records, not direct confirmation from him or his representatives.
Why do net worth and height figures vary so much across different sites?
Many bio sites use auto-generated templates that insert placeholder numbers when real data isn't available, which explains the wide swings you'll see. This article checks each fact against primary sources like Wikipedia and IMDb instead of copying other bio pages. When something can't be verified, it's labeled as an estimate or marked unknown rather than invented.
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