
George Kennedy
Department: Acting
Biography
George Kennedy (February 18, 1925 — February 28, 2016) was a European-American businessman, entrepreneur, A World War II veteran, actor, adviser, radio dj, and author. 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.
Known For

Cool Hand Luke
1967

The Dirty Dozen
1967

The Flight of the Phoenix
1965

Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
1964

Airport
1970

Death on the Nile
1978

Charade
1963

The Eiger Sanction
1975

Earthquake
1974

Shenandoah
1965

Bolero
1984

Brain Dead
1990

Cahill: United States Marshal
1973

Small Soldiers
1998

Sands of Oblivion
2007

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
1974

Airport '77
1977

The Human Factor
1975

Armed and Deadly: The Making of 'The Dirty Dozen'
2006

Death Ship
1980

Guns of the Magnificent Seven
1969

The Boston Strangler
1968

Airport 1975
1974

Don't Come Knocking
2005

Demonwarp
1988

The Terror Within
1989

The Concorde... Airport '79
1979

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
1994

Strait-Jacket
1964

Bandolero!
1968

Virus
1980

Another Happy Day
2011

Lonely are the Brave
1962

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
1988

The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
1991

The Delta Force
1986

The Sons of Katie Elder
1965

Dennis the Menace Strikes Again!
1998

Creepshow 2
1987

Uninvited
1988

The Man Who Came Back
2008

Radioactive Dreams
1986

Fools' Parade
1971

Just Before Dawn
1981

Dirty Dingus Magee
1970

Mirage
1965

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
1969

The Ballad of Josie
1968

Nightmare at Noon
1988

Brass Target
1978

The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
1981

Zig Zag
1970

Search and Destroy
1979

Wacko
1982

… tick… tick… tick…
1970

The Gunfighters
1987

Savage Dawn
1985

A Natural Born World-Shaker: The Making of 'Cool Hand Luke'
2008

Hired to Kill
1990

The Double McGuffin
1979

Lost Horizon
1973

Steel
1979

Born to Race
1988

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
1961

Monster Makers
2003

Top Line
1988

The Bull of the West
1972

Gaily, Gaily
1969

Intensive Care
1991

Hurry Sundown
1967

Mean Dog Blues
1978

The Man from the Diners' Club
1963

Hotwire
1980

Private Road: No Trespassing
1988

Deliver Us from Evil
1973

The Gambler: The Legend Continues
1987

The Jupiter Menace
1982

Ministry of Vengeance
1989

A Cry in the Wilderness
1974

Dallas: War of The Ewings
1998

Liberty
1986

The Pink Jungle
1968

A Great American Tragedy
1972

See How They Run
1964

Counterforce
1988

Esmeralda Bay
1989

Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
1971

The Legend of Lylah Clare
1968

The Jesse Owens Story
1984

Hangfire
1991

In Harm's Way
1965

Island of the Blue Dolphins
1964

Proof of the Man
1977

The Blue Knight
1975

International Airport
1985

The Gambler
2014

Hollyweird
1998

Half Nelson
1985

Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
1992

Dallas: J.R. Returns
1996

Modern Romance
1981

Truce
2005

McHale's Navy
1964

What Price Victory
1988

Three Bad Men
2005

View from the Top
2003

2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010

Distant Justice
1992

Driving Me Crazy
1991

Chattanooga Choo Choo
1984

Men in White
1998

Mayumi: Virgin Terrorist
1990

Rigged
1985

Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon
1961

The Cops Are Robbers
1990

Cats Don't Dance
1997

Rare Breed
1984

Sonic Boom
1974

The Boneyard Collection
2008

WWE SummerSlam 1994
1994

The Lion Roars Again
1975

The Priest Killer
1971

Bayou Ghost
1997

Airports
2025

Six Days in Paradise
2010

Death on the Nile: Making of Featurette
1978

The Andy Griffith Show
1960

The Great Adventure
1963

77 Sunset Strip
1958

Cheyenne
1955

Route 66
1960

Wings
1990

Gunsmoke
1955

Perry Mason
1957

The Rogues
1964

The Tall Man
1960

Laredo
1965

Going My Way
1962

Outlaws
1960

Rawhide
1959

Have Gun, Will Travel
1957

Daniel Boone
1964

The Virginian
1962

Sarge
1971

Thriller
1960

Peter Gunn
1958

The Big Valley
1965

Tarzan
1966

Grindl
1963

Bat Masterson
1958

Lawman
1958

Riverboat
1959

The Legend of Jesse James
1965

Dr. Kildare
1961

The Oscars
1953

The Asphalt Jungle
1961

Kraft Mystery Theatre
1961

Saturday Night Live
1975

The Blue Knight
1975

Dr. Kildare
1961

The Virginian
1962

Gunsmoke
1955

Gunsmoke
1955

The Virginian
1962

Gunsmoke
1955

Gunsmoke
1955

Gunsmoke
1955

Gunsmoke
1955

Santo Bugito
1995

Bonanza
1959

Bonanza
1959

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996

Have Gun, Will Travel
1957

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963

The Phil Silvers Show
1955

The Commish
1991

Dallas
1978

Ironside
1967

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
1973

Backstairs at the White House
1979

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962

Sugarfoot
1957

The Mike Douglas Show
1961

Have Gun, Will Travel
1957

Have Gun, Will Travel
1957

Duckman
1994

Surfside 6
1960

Sugarfoot
1957

The Merv Griffin Show
1962

Gunslinger
1961

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993

Maverick
1957