| Roger Cook | |
| Birth Place: | Biddeford, Maine, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | University of Maine |
| Occupation: | Gardener, landscape contractor, television personality |
| Years Active: | Television: 1982–2022 |
| Television: |
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| Children: | 2 |
Roger A. Cook (1954 – August 21, 2024) was an American garden and landscape contractor, widely known as the resident landscaping expert on the PBS home renovation program This Old House (1988-2022) - as well as Ask This Old House and Inside This Old House.
In 2022, Cook and his colleagues received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy.[1]
Cook was born in 1954 in Biddeford, Maine, to Arthur and Lucienne, one of two sons. The family lived in Woburn, Massachusetts, initially, then settled in Burlington. In high school, Cook was a member of the National Honor Society and played on the football and basketball teams;[2] he graduated from Burlington High School in 1972. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine.
He served as president of the board of directors of New England Grows, and was a member of the Massachusetts Arborist Association and Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts.[1]
Cook was married to Kathleen Cooke (1954-2010),[3] and lived with his two children in Burlington.[4] The family had a cottage on Cape Cod.[5] He died following an extended illness on August 21, 2024, at the age of 70.[6]
In 1977, Cook received a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine. A certified landscape contractor in Massachusetts, Cook was an active member of the Massachusetts Arborist Association and served as president of the board of directors of New England Grows and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts. Cook owned and operated K & R Tree and Landscape Company, which he and his wife, Kathleen, founded in 1982.[7]
Cook's first appearance on This Old House was also in 1982.[8] At the time, he was a landscape foreman with a private company and contributed to several This Old House projects, including the Bigelow Ranch and the Woburn House. In 1988, beginning with the Lexington Bed & Breakfast renovation, Cook became a full-time cast member on the show as its garden and landscape contractor.
He served on the editorial board of This Old House magazine and contributed to Complete Landscaping, published in 2004 by This Old House Books in conjunction with Sunset Books.
Following a June 2018 announcement, Cook began reducing his role on the television programs due to health issues;[9] In January of 2020, This Old House host Kevin O'Connor said Cook would step down completely from the show, to be replaced by Jenn Nawada, who had appeared as a guest.[10]