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George Kennedy

George Kennedy

George Kennedy was born on February 18 in New York City. The son of an orchestra leader and a ballet dancer, he began appearing on stage at the age of two and subsequently spent his younger years as a radio performer. He enlisted in the Army during World War II and went on to serve 16 years, both in combat, and in his later years, as an Armed Forces Radio and Television officer. He returned to civilian life in 1955 as a technical advisor on You'll Never Get Rich and the Sergeant Bilko television series, and soon found work as an actor on various television series as well as in feature films.

In 1967, Kennedy earned an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his riveting performance in the feature film Cool Hand Luke. His other list of film credits include Lonely are the Brave, Island of the Blue Dolphins, McHale's Navy, The Pink Jungle, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Cahill - U.S. Marshal, The Human Factor, The Eiger Sanction, Hush, Hush... Sweet Charlotte, The Dirty Dozen, The Flight of the Phoenix, Brass Target, The Boston Strangler, Airport, Earthquake, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Airport '77, Airport '79, Concorde and Death on the Nile.

Kennedy's television appearances include starring roles in the series The Blue Knight, Sarge and Half Nelson as well as host for the series Counterattack - Crime in America. He also starred in the telefilms Never Say Never, The Archer - Fugitive from the Empire, Bliss, The Jesse Owens Story and in the mini-series Backstairs at the White House.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

George Kennedy Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayFebruary 18, 1925 (99)
SignAquarius
BirthplaceNew York, New York, USA
Height6' 4" (1m93)  How tall is George Kennedy compared to you?
Awards1968 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (for Cool Hand Luke)

Selected Filmography

Baby Boom
Barbershop
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Back to the Future
The Kill
In Harm's Way
The Paiute War
RiffTrax: Nightmare at Noon
Hired To Kill
Back to the Future Part II
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