Arthur Kennedy (actor)
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Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914 – January 5, 1990) was an American actor.
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[edit] Life and work
Born John Arthur Kennedy in Worcester, Massachusetts, he acted both on the stage and screen, receiving a Tony Award for the role of Biff Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (1949). Kennedy also inaugurated three other major characters in Miller plays: Chris Keller in All My Sons (1947), John Proctor in The Crucible (1953), and Walter Franz in The Price (1968). He also received five Academy Award nominations, all unsuccessful. He and Claude Rains share the record of four losing nominations for Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Kennedy got his break when he was discovered by James Cagney. His first role was of Cagney's younger brother in City for Conquest in 1940. He portrayed good guys and bad guys equally, appearing in Western films and police dramas. He also turned in a worthy performance as a surgeon in 1966's Fantastic Voyage.
He starred in several well-received films in the late 1940s and the 1950s, including High Sierra, They Died with Their Boots On, Boomerang!, Champion, The Window, The Glass Menagerie, Bright Victory, Bend of the River, The Lusty Men, Rancho Notorious, The Desperate Hours, Lawrence of Arabia, The Man From Laramie, The Naked Dawn, Trial, Peyton Place, Some Came Running, A Summer Place and Elmer Gantry.
[edit] Academy Award nominations
- 1959 Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Some Came Running
- 1958 Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Peyton Place
- 1956 Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Trial
- 1952 Best Actor in a Leading Role for Bright Victory
- 1950 Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Champion
