Arthur Kennedy (actor)
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| Arthur Kennedy | |||||||
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 Kennedy in Champion (1949) |
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| Born | John Arthur Kennedy February 17, 1914 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Died | January 5, 1990 (aged 75) Branford, Connecticut, U.S. |
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| Spouse(s) | Mary Cheffrey (1938-1975) | ||||||
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John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914 – January 5, 1990) was an American actor.
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kennedy graduated from Worcester Academy and Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, where an award is presented every year to a deserving actor in his honor. He appeared 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, never winning. He and Claude Rains share the record of four losing nominations for Best Supporting Actor Oscar.[1]
Kennedy got his break when he was discovered by James Cagney. His first film 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.[1]
Kennedy was married to Mary Cheffrey from 1938 until her death in 1975. They had two children, Terrence and Laurie Kennedy. Laurie followed in the footsteps of her parents and became an actress. Both Mary and Arthur are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Nova Scotia, Canada.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Arthur Kennedy. IMDb.com.
[edit] External links
- Arthur Kennedy at Find A Grave
- Arthur Kennedy at the Internet Broadway Database
- Arthur Kennedy at the Internet Movie Database
- Photographs of Arthur Kennedy tombstone, Nova Scotia.
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Gregory Peck for Twelve O'Clock High |
NYFCC Award for Best Actor 1951 for Bright Victory |
Succeeded by Ralph Richardson for The Sound Barrier |
| Preceded by Edmond O'Brien for The Barefoot Contessa |
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture 1956 for Trial |
Succeeded by Earl Holliman for The Rainmaker |
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