Actor, Singer. He was an American actor and singer, appearing mainly in television shows. Born Edward Byrne Breitenberger, Edd, as he was known, will best be remembered for his role of "Kookie," a hair-combing parking lot valet, on the television series, "77 Sunset Strip." With a handsome face with dimples, he became an instant star to the teenage audience. In 1959, a novelty song titled "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb," recorded by Byrnes and Connie Stevens, would become a hit and chart at #4. This followed with a duo with Joanie Sommers, "Like I Love You," but this one did not fare well, nor did any other recordings of his. A native of New York City, he developed an interest in performing and, after high school, landed several roles in summer stock. In 1955 at age 22, he set out for Los Angeles, where he landed a number of minor parts, including his first role on "Cheyenne," a Western television series. His next role, in which he was cast as a compulsively hair-combing killer, was in the 1958 ABC television production of "Girl on the Run," which served as the pilot for "77 Sunset Strip." In the next episode, Byrne's role was changed to that of Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III, parking valet at Dino's Club, the nightclub next door to the agency with the address of 77 Sunset Strip. In the 206 episodes of the series, he had more of a lead role in the investigation of a crime starting in 1962 than the minor role of parking valet. He was released from his contract with Warner Brothers Studio in 1963, and the series ended in February of 1964. He also appeared in such films as "Johnny Trouble" in 1957, "Darby's Rangers" and "Marjorie Morningstar" both in 1958, "Up Periscope" in 1959, "The Secret Invasion" in 1964, "Beach Ball" in 1965, "Stardust" in 1974, "Grease" in 1978, "Back to the Beach" in 1987 and "Troop Beverly Hills" in 1989. Aside from his starring role on "77 Sunset Strip," among other television shows and series, the prolific actor appeared in were "Maverick," "Lawman," "Hawaiian Eye," "Honey West," "Love, American Style," "The Virginian," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Police Story," "$weepstake$," "Vega$," "Fantasy Island," "Simon & Simon" and "Murder, She Wrote." Byrnes, who last appeared in a 1999 made-for-television movie, "Shake, Rattle, and Roll: An American Love Story," died of natural causes. In 1996 he published "Edd Byrnes: Kookie No More, An Autobiography," which addressed his bout with alcoholism and how this vice impacted his career. He was married for nine years and had a son.