George Clooney has led tributes to the late actor Ken Howard, the head of a leading Hollywood actors’ union and the star of 1970s drama series The White Shadow.

Ken, who served as president of the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), died on Wednesday at the age of 71, the union announced.

He became famous for his role as Ken Reeves in The White Shadow, a US drama in which he played a retired NBA player now coaching high school players. He also appeared in Dynasty, Melrose Place and Crossing Jordan.

Screen Actors Guild President Ken Howard who has died aged 71 Screen Actors Guild President Ken Howard who has died aged 71 (Vince Bucci/Invision/AP)

George, who worked with Ken on the 2007 thriller Michael Clayton, paid tribute to his former co-star and recalled a moment of kindness after their first meeting in 1983.

In a statement reported by several American media outlets, George said he told Ken that he was going to miss an audition five miles away because he was on his bike.

“So Ken put his bike in the trunk of his car and dropped him off at Paramount,” George said.

“Then Ken just waved goodbye and said good luck, ‘I hope we do get that chance to work together.’

“I didn’t get that audition, But I did get the chance to work with him years later. It was an honour. Today his obituary read that he was six foot six, but he was so much taller than that.”

Ken was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2009 and acted as the catalyst for its 2012 merger with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union.

The groups now represent 160,000 actors, broadcasters and recording artists.