Credits include 'Hospital,' 'San Francisco'

Edward “Ward” Costello, who had recurring roles on TV series including “The Streets of San Francisco” and “General Hospital,” died June 4 in Redlands, Calif., due to complications from a stroke. He was 89.

Costello worked on the stage, on film and in numerous TV shows from the 1940s through the late 1980s.

His first major role was starring in August Strindberg’s long-running “The Father” Off Broadway. In the 1950s, Costello began working in live television while continuing to work on the stage in New York. 

He starred in soap operas including “Secret Storm” and “The Edge of Night.” Other TV appearances included “Barnaby Jones,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Newhart” and the TV movie “Roe vs. Wade.”

He worked as a composer and lyricist, including the theme for “The Gallant Hours.” Costello’s feature film appearances included cult sci-fi pic “Terror From the Year 5000,” “The Gallant Hours” and “MacArthur.”

Born in Boston, he served in Britain’s Royal Air Force and the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII, receiving five medals.

After his tour of duty, Costello worked as a foreign news editor for CBS, wrote for newspapers and magazines and studied at the Yale School of Drama. He also studied at the Old Vic and U. of Birmingham in England.

Costello is survived by his wife, Gerarda; three sons; a daughter; two brothers and a sister.