Sandy-haired, tall and burly George Harris Kennedy, Jr. was born in New York City, to Helen A. (Kieselbach), a ballet dancer, and George Harris Kennedy, an orchestra leader and musician. He had German, Irish, and English ancestry. A World War II veteran, Kennedy at one stage in his career cornered the market at playing tough, no-nonsense characters who were either quite crooked or possessed hearts of gold. Kennedy notched up an impressive 200+ appearances in both TV and film, and was well respected within the Hollywood community. He started out in TV westerns in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Rawhide (1959), Maverick (1957), Colt .45 (1957), among others; before scoring minor roles in films including Lonely Are the Brave (1962), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). The late 1960s was a very busy period for Kennedy, and he was strongly in favor with casting agents, appearing in Hurry Sundown (1967), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and scoring an Oscar win as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cool Hand Luke (1967). The disaster film boom of the 1970s was kind to Kennedy, too, and his talents were in demand for Airport(1970) and the three subsequent sequels, as a grizzled cop in Earthquake (1974), plus the buddy/road film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) as vicious bank robber Red Leary. The 1980s saw Kennedy appear in a mishmash of roles, playing various characters; however, Kennedy and Leslie Nielsen surprised everyone with their comedic talents in the hugely successful The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), and the two screen veterans hammed it up again in, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), plus Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994). Kennedy remained busy in Hollywood and lent his distinctive voice to the animated Cats Don't Dance (1997) and the children's action film Small Soldiers (1998). A Hollywood stalwart for nearly 50 years, he is one of the most enjoyable actors to watch on screen. His last role was in the film The Gambler (2014), as Mark Wahlberg's character's grandfather. George Kennedy died on February 28, 2016 in Middleton, Idaho.
Movie | The Gambler | Ed | 2014-12-25 |
Movie | Another Happy Day | Joe Baker | 2011-11-18 |
Movie | The Boneyard Collection | Professor Zebediah Jones (segment "The Devil's Due at Midnight") | 2008-01-01 |
Movie | The Man Who Came Back | Judge Duke | 2008-02-08 |
Movie | Sands of Oblivion | John Tevis | 2007-07-28 |
Movie | Armed and Deadly: The Making of 'The Dirty Dozen' | Self | 2006-01-01 |
Movie | Truce | Dr. Peter Gannon | 2005-01-01 |
Movie | Three Bad Men | Ed Fiske | 2005-01-15 |
Movie | Don't Come Knocking | Director | 2005-05-19 |
Movie | View from the Top | Passenger Requesting Vodka (uncredited) | 2003-03-21 |
Movie | Monster Makers | Dexter Brisbane | 2003-10-26 |
Movie | Men in White | Army | 1998-08-16 |
Movie | Dallas - War of The Ewings | Carter McKay | 1998-04-23 |
Movie | Hollyweird | George Kennedy | 1998-01-01 |
Movie | Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! | Mr. Johnson | 1998-07-14 |
Movie | Small Soldiers | Brick Bazooka (voice) | 1998-07-10 |
Movie | Cats Don't Dance | L.B. Mammoth (voice) | 1997-03-26 |
Movie | Dallas: J.R. Returns | Carter McKay | 1996-11-14 |
Series | Santo Bugito | 1995-01-01 | |
Movie | Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult | Ed Hocken | 1994-03-18 |
Movie | WWE SummerSlam 1994 | Himself | 1994-08-29 |
Movie | Distant Justice | Tom Bradfield | 1992-12-01 |
Movie | Driving Me Crazy | John McCready | 1991-05-16 |
Movie | Hangfire | Warden Barles | 1991-01-11 |
Movie | The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear | Captain Ed Hocken | 1991-06-28 |
Series | The Commish | Unknown | 1991-09-28 |
Movie | Intensive Care | Dr. Bruckner | 1991-10-31 |
Series | Wings | Unknown | 1990-04-19 |
Movie | Brain Dead | Vance | 1990-01-16 |
Movie | Mayumi: Virgin Terrorist | Bahraini Investigator | 1990-06-09 |
Movie | Hired to Kill | Thomas | 1990-11-10 |
Movie | The Cops Are Robbers | 1990-12-09 | |
Movie | Esmeralda Bay | Wilson | 1989-05-18 |
Movie | The Terror Within | Hal | 1989-01-20 |
Movie | Ministry of Vengeance | Rev. Hughes | 1989-11-03 |
Movie | Counterforce | Vince Colby | 1988-02-05 |
Movie | Born to Race | Vincent Duplain | 1988-01-29 |
Movie | What Price Victory | Big Buck Brayton | 1988-01-18 |
Movie | Demonwarp | Bill Crafton | 1988-03-01 |
Movie | Private Road: No Trespassing | Sam Milshaw | 1988-06-15 |
Movie | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Capt. Ed Hocken | 1988-12-02 |
Movie | Top Line | Heinrich Holzmann | 1988-08-16 |
Movie | Uninvited | Mike Harvey | 1988-08-24 |
Movie | Nightmare at Noon | Sherrif Hanks | 1988-06-29 |
Movie | The Gunfighters | Deke Turner | 1987-01-01 |
Movie | Creepshow 2 | Ray Spruce | 1987-05-01 |
Movie | The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues | General Nelson Miles | 1987-11-22 |
Movie | Savage Dawn | Tick Rand | 1986-05-22 |
Movie | The Delta Force | Father O'Malley | 1986-02-14 |
Movie | Radioactive Dreams | Spade Chandler | 1986-09-19 |
Movie | Half Nelson | Parsons | 1985-03-24 |
Movie | Rigged | Ben | 1985-05-15 |
Movie | International Airport | Rudy Van Leuven | 1985-05-25 |
Movie | Chattanooga Choo Choo | Bert | 1984-05-18 |
Movie | The Jesse Owens Story | Charles 'Charley' Riley | 1984-07-09 |
Movie | Bolero | Cotton | 1984-08-31 |
Movie | Rare Breed | 1984-10-10 | |
Movie | Wacko | Mr. Doctor Graves | 1982-11-12 |
Movie | The Jupiter Menace | Himself | 1982-11-19 |
Movie | Modern Romance | George Kennedy / Zeron | 1981-03-13 |
Movie | Just Before Dawn | Roy McLean | 1981-10-14 |
Movie | The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire | Brakus | 1981-04-12 |
Movie | Death Ship | Captain Ashland | 1980-03-07 |
Movie | Virus | Admiral Conway | 1980-06-26 |
Movie | Hotwire | Farley & Harley Fontenot | 1980-09-01 |
Movie | The Double McGuffin | Chief Talasek | 1979-06-01 |
Movie | Search and Destroy | Anthony Fusqua | 1979-07-05 |
Series | Backstairs at the White House | Pres. Warren G. Harding | 1979-01-29 |
Movie | The Concorde... Airport '79 | Joe Patroni | 1979-08-17 |
Movie | Steel | Big Lew Cassidy | 1979-10-21 |
Series | Dallas | Carter McKay | 1978-04-02 |
Movie | Death on the Nile: Making of Featurette | Self / Andrew Pennington | 1978-01-01 |
Movie | Mean Dog Blues | Captain Omar Kinsman | 1978-03-03 |
Movie | Death on the Nile | Andrew Pennington | 1978-09-29 |
Movie | Brass Target | Gen. George S. Patton | 1978-12-22 |
Movie | Airport '77 | Joe Patroni | 1977-03-11 |
Movie | Proof of the Man | Ken Shuftan | 1977-10-08 |
Movie | The Lion Roars Again | Self | 1975-01-01 |
Series | The Blue Knight | Officer Bumper Morgan | 1975-05-09 |
Movie | The Human Factor | John Kinsdale | 1975-11-19 |
Movie | The Eiger Sanction | Ben Bowman | 1975-05-21 |
Series | Saturday Night Live | Unknown | 1975-10-11 |
Movie | Sonic Boom | Ben Dover | 1974-01-01 |
Movie | A Cry in the Wilderness | Sam Hadley | 1974-03-26 |
Movie | Airport 1975 | Joe Patroni | 1974-10-18 |
Movie | Thunderbolt and Lightfoot | Red Leary | 1974-05-23 |
Movie | Earthquake | Sgt. Lew Slade | 1974-11-15 |
Movie | Lost Horizon | Sam Cornelius | 1973-03-14 |
Movie | Deliver Us from Evil | Walter 'Cowboy' McAdams | 1973-09-11 |
Movie | Cahill: United States Marshall | Abe Fraser | 1973-07-11 |
Movie | The Bull of the West | 'Bear' Suchette | 1972-05-04 |
Movie | A Great American Tragedy | Brad Wilkes | 1972-10-18 |
Movie | Fools' Parade | Dallas 'Doc' Council | 1971-08-18 |
Series | Sarge | Father Samuel Cavanaugh | 1971-09-21 |
Movie | Tick... Tick... Tick... | John Little | 1970-01-09 |
Movie | Zig Zag | Paul R. Cameron | 1970-05-01 |
Movie | Dirty Dingus Magee | Herkimer 'Hoke' Birdsill | 1970-11-18 |
Movie | Airport | Joe Patroni | 1970-05-29 |
Movie | Guns of the Magnificent Seven | Chris | 1969-07-14 |
Movie | The Good Guys and the Bad Guys | McKay | 1969-10-10 |
Movie | Gaily, Gaily | Axel P. Johanson | 1969-12-16 |
Movie | The Ballad of Josie | Arch Ogden | 1968-02-01 |
Movie | The Legend of Lylah Clare | Matt Burke | 1968-08-21 |
Movie | Bandolero! | Sheriff July Johnson | 1968-06-01 |
Movie | The Pink Jungle | Sammy Ryderbeit | 1968-10-16 |
Movie | The Boston Strangler | Det. Phil DiNatale | 1968-10-08 |
Movie | The Dirty Dozen | Major Max Armbruster | 1967-06-15 |
Movie | Hurry Sundown | Sheriff Coombs | 1967-02-09 |
Movie | Cool Hand Luke | Dragline | 1967-11-01 |
Series | Tarzan | Unknown | 1966-09-08 |
Movie | The Sons of Katie Elder | Curley | 1965-06-23 |
Series | The Legend of Jesse James | Unknown | 1965-09-13 |
Movie | Shenandoah | Col. Fairchild | 1965-06-03 |
Movie | In Harm's Way | Colonel Gregory | 1965-04-06 |
Series | The Big Valley | Unknown | 1965-09-15 |
Movie | The Flight of the Phoenix | Bellamy | 1965-12-15 |
Movie | Mirage | Willard | 1965-10-29 |
Series | Laredo | Unknown | 1965-09-16 |
Movie | McHale's Navy | Henri Le Clerc | 1964-06-25 |
Movie | Island of the Blue Dolphins | Aleut Captain | 1964-09-10 |
Movie | Strait-Jacket | Leo Krause | 1964-01-19 |
Movie | Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Foreman | 1964-12-15 |
Movie | See How They Run | Rudy | 1964-10-07 |
Series | Daniel Boone | Unknown | 1964-09-24 |
Movie | The Man from the Diners' Club | George | 1963-04-17 |
Series | Grindl | Unknown | 1963-09-15 |
Series | The Great Adventure | Unknown | 1963-09-27 |
Movie | Charade | Herman Scobie | 1963-12-05 |
Movie | Lonely Are the Brave | Deputy Sheriff Gutierrez | 1962-05-24 |
Series | The Virginian | Unknown | 1962-09-19 |
Series | Going My Way | Unknown | 1962-10-03 |
Series | Kraft Mystery Theatre | Unknown | 1961-06-14 |
Series | The Asphalt Jungle | Unknown | 1961-04-02 |
Movie | The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come | Nathan Dillon | 1961-06-01 |
Series | Dr. Kildare | Unknown | 1961-09-27 |
Movie | Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon | Hawk | 1961-10-17 |
Series | Thriller | Unknown | 1960-09-13 |
Series | The Tall Man | Unknown | 1960-09-10 |
Series | Outlaws | Unknown | 1960-09-26 |
Series | Surfside 6 | Unknown | 1960-10-06 |
Movie | Spartacus | Rebel Soldier (uncredited) | 1960-10-13 |
Series | Route 66 | Unknown | 1960-10-07 |
Series | The Andy Griffith Show | Unknown | 1960-10-03 |
Series | Rawhide | Unknown | 1959-01-09 |
Series | Riverboat | Unknown | 1959-09-13 |
Series | Peter Gunn | Unknown | 1958-09-22 |
Series | Lawman | Unknown | 1958-10-05 |
Series | Bat Masterson | Unknown | 1958-10-08 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Unknown | 1957-09-14 |
Series | Maverick | Unknown | 1957-09-22 |
Series | Perry Mason | Unknown | 1957-09-21 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Unknown | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Cheyenne | Unknown | 1955-09-20 |
Series | The Oscars | Unknown | 1953-03-19 |