Ken Howard, the veteran actor who starred in the 1970s TV series “The White Shadow,” defeated “Home Improvement” actress Patricia Richardson to remain president of Hollywood's largest entertainment union.
But the race was closer than expected and Richardson’s camp won a surprise victory when her running mate Jane Austin was elected secretary treasurer of SAG-AFTRA and president of the Los Angeles board.
Why did the longtime head of SAG-AFTRA come within 2,257 votes of losing his job to an upstart challenger?
Richardson tapped into growing anxieties among actors over their shrinking incomes during a period of rapid change in the media landscape.