George Kennedy
Feb 18, 1925 — Feb 28, 2016 (91 years)
New York City, New York, USA
95 Movies
31 Series
A giant of six-foot-three and a thunderous voice, George Kennedy was an American actor who specialized in tough types, whether unscrupulous thugs or brutes with a heart of gold. After cutting his teeth in television westerns, he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 'Cool Hand Luke' (1967), where his convict ends up yielding to Paul Newman's tenacity. The rise of the disaster film in the 1970s kept him very busy in the 'Airport' saga and in 'Earthquake' (1974). Already a veteran, he surprised audiences with his comic vein alongside Leslie Nielsen in 'The Naked Gun' trilogy. He amassed more than two hundred appearances in film and television across nearly half a century, always with that menacing bulk and that so-recognizable sardonic edge.
91R.I.P.
95Movies
31Series
George Kennedy
95 Movies
31 Series
A giant of six-foot-three and a thunderous voice, George Kennedy was an American actor who specialized in tough types, whether unscrupulous thugs or brutes with a heart of gold. After cutting his teeth in television westerns, he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 'Cool Hand Luke' (1967), where his convict ends up yielding to Paul Newman's tenacity. The rise of the disaster film in the 1970s kept him very busy in the 'Airport' saga and in 'Earthquake' (1974). Already a veteran, he surprised audiences with his comic vein alongside Leslie Nielsen in 'The Naked Gun' trilogy. He amassed more than two hundred appearances in film and television across nearly half a century, always with that menacing bulk and that so-recognizable sardonic edge.
91 R.I.P.
R.I.P.
95
Movies
31
Series
Movies
Small Soldiers
1998
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
1988
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
1991
The Dirty Dozen
1967
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
1994
Death on the Nile
1978
Cool Hand Luke
1967
The Gambler
2014
The Delta Force
1986
Bandolero!
1968
Charade
1963
View from the Top
2003
Earthquake
1974
Cats Don't Dance
1997
Airport
1970
Airport 1975
1974
Fools' Parade
1971
Airport '77
1977
Intensive Care
1991
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
1974
Creepshow 2
1987
Bolero
1984
The Sons of Katie Elder
1965
The Eiger Sanction
1975
Demonwarp
1988
In Harm's Way
1965
Driving Me Crazy
1991
Another Happy Day
2011
The Flight of the Phoenix
1965
The Concorde... Airport '79
1979
Virus
1980
Don't Come Knocking
2005
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
1964
The Boston Strangler
1968
Nightmare at Noon
1988
Just Before Dawn
1981
… tick… tick… tick…
1970
Cahill: United States Marshal
1973
Dennis the Menace Strikes Again!
1998
Lonely are the Brave
1962
Proof of the Man
1977
Guns of the Magnificent Seven
1969
Top Line
1988
Death Ship
1980
Shenandoah
1965
The Double McGuffin
1979
Mirage
1965
Modern Romance
1981
Brain Dead
1990
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
1969
TV Shows
The Blue Knight
1975
Sarge
1971
Backstairs at the White House
1979
Dr. Kildare
1961
The Phil Silvers Show
1955
The Andy Griffith Show
1960
The Great Adventure
1963
Cheyenne
1955
Wings
1990
Gunsmoke
1955
Perry Mason
1957
The Rogues
1964
Daniel Boone
1964
The Virginian
1962
Thriller
1960
The Big Valley
1965
Bat Masterson
1958
Riverboat
1959
The Legend of Jesse James
1965
Santo Bugito
1995
Bonanza
1959
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
The Commish
1991
Ironside
1967
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1962
Sugarfoot
1957
Duckman
1994
Surfside 6
1960
Gunslinger
1961
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Gambler
Full Filmography
The Gambler
Ed
2014
Film
Another Happy Day
Joe Baker
2011
Film
Six Days in Paradise
Monty Crenshaw
2010
Film
The Boneyard Collection
Professor Zebediah Jones (segment "The Devil's Due at Midnight")
2008
Film
Don't Come Knocking
Director
2005
Film
Three Bad Men
Ed Fiske
2005
Film
Truce
Dr. Peter Gannon
2005
Film
Monster Makers
Dexter Brisbane
2003
Film
View from the Top
Passenger Requesting Vodka (uncredited)
2003
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is George Kennedy still alive?
George Kennedy passed away on February 28, 2016 at age 91.
What are the most famous roles of George Kennedy?
George Kennedy is best known for roles in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.
How many movies has George Kennedy been in?
Over a 55-year career (since 1961), George Kennedy has appeared in 124 movies and 52 TV shows.
What was George Kennedy's first movie?
The career of George Kennedy began with The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come (1961).
What is George Kennedy's most recent movie or series?
George Kennedy's most recent release is The Gambler, which premiered on December 25, 2014.
What TV shows has George Kennedy appeared in?
On television, George Kennedy has appeared in Saturday Night Live, Bonanza, Dallas, The Andy Griffith Show.
George Kennedy
1925-02-18 · New York City, New York, USA
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.