John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the original casts of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

plays on Broadway.James C. McKinley Jr., "Arthur Kennedy, Actor, 75, Dies; Was Versatile in Supporting Roles", The New York Times, 7 Jan 1990, p 30, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007) accessed 13 November 2011. He won the 1949

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. Honors i ...

for Miller's ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...

''. He also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the 1955 film ''

Trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

'', and was a five-time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee.

Early life and education

Kennedy was born on February 17, 1914, in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, the son of Helen (née Thompson) and John Timothy "J.T." Kennedy, a dentist. He attended South High School, Worcester and

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...

. He studied drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, graduating with a B.A. in 1934.Melissa Vickery-Bareford
"Kennedy, John Arthur"
''American National Biography Online'', (Feb. 2000), accessed 13 Nov 13 2011.

Career

Kennedy moved to New York City and, billed as John Kennedy, joined the Group Theatre. He then toured with a classical repertory company. In September 1937, he made his Broadway debut as Bushy in Maurice Evans' '' Richard II'' at the St. James Theatre. In 1939 he played Sir Richard Vernon in Evans' '' Henry IV, Part 1''. Kennedy made his entry into films when he was discovered by James Cagney. His first film role was of Cagney's younger brother in ''

City for Conquest ''City for Conquest'' is a 1940 American epic drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Arthur Kennedy. The picture is based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Aben Kandel. The supporting cast features ...

'' in 1940. He appeared in many

Western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

s and police dramas. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Kennedy served from 1943 to 1945 in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(USAAF) making aviation training films, both as a narrator and an actor. Many of those films serve as historical records of how aviators were trained and flight equipment was operated. Kennedy appeared in many notable films from the early 1940s through mid-1960s, including '' High Sierra'', ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

'', ''

They Died with Their Boots On ''They Died with Their Boots On'' is a 1941 American black-and-white Western film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Hal B. Wallis and Robert Fellows, directed by Raoul Walsh, that stars Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. The film's sto ...

'', ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

'', '' The Desperate Hours'', ''

'', '' Peyton Place'', ''

Some Came Running ''Some Came Running'' is a novel by James Jones, published in 1958. It was Jones's second published novel, following his award-winning debut '' From Here to Eternity''. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in ...

'', '' A Summer Place'', '' Elmer Gantry'', '' The Man from Laramie'', ''

Barabbas Barabbas (; ) was, according to the New Testament, a prisoner who was chosen over Jesus by the crowd in Jerusalem to be pardoned and released by Roman governor Pontius Pilate at the Passover feast. Biblical account According to all four canoni ...

'', '' Lawrence of Arabia'', ''

Nevada Smith ''Nevada Smith'' is a 1966 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy and Suzanne Pleshette. The film was made by Embassy Pictures and Solar Productions, in association ...

'' and '' Fantastic Voyage''. Of Kennedy's film work, he is perhaps best-remembered for his collaborations with director Anthony Mann and co-star James Stewart on '' Bend of the River'' (1952) and '' The Man from Laramie'' (1955), in both of which he played sympathetic villains. Kennedy also enjoyed film success in England during the 1950s, usually playing the lead role in b-movies whenever an American character was needed. He played mostly laid-back ladies' men, avuncular husband types or down-on-their—luck con men chancing it in the UK. He also enjoyed a distinguished stage career over the same period, receiving a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for his role of Biff Loman in

's ''

'' (1949). He inaugurated three other major characters in Miller plays: Chris Keller in '' All My Sons'' (1947), John Proctor in ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

'' (1953) and Walter Franz in '' The Price'' (1968). In 1961 he played the title role in '' Becket'', opposite Laurence Olivier as Henry II. On February 5, 1959, Kennedy appeared on the episode "Make It Look Good" of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's ''

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star ...

''. In 1974, Kennedy was a regular on the short-lived ABC police drama '' Nakia'', as Sheriff Sam Jericho.

Waning interest, ill-health, then comeback

With the death of his wife in 1975, failing eyesight, alcoholism, and thyroid cancer, Kennedy was reported as having lost interest in filmmaking. After '' Covert Action'' (1978), his next films were '' The Humanoid'' (1979) and '' Signs of Life'' (1989).Glenn Collins, "Arthur Kennedy: Comeback for a Curmudgeon", ''The New York Times'', 30 Apr 1989, p H24, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007) accessed 13 November 2011.

Awards and honors

In 1949, Kennedy won a

for best supporting actor as Biff in Arthur Miller's ''Death of a Salesman'' at the Morosco Theatre. The New York Film Critics named him Best Actor for '' Bright Victory'' (1951). His performance in ''

'' won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. His portrayal of the newspaper reporter in '' Elmer Gantry'' (1960) gained him a Film Daily Award and a Limelight Award.

Oscar nominations

Kennedy received a nomination for Best Actor for his performance in '' Bright Victory'' (1951).

Personal life

Kennedy married Mary Cheffey in March 1938. They had two children: actress Laurie Kennedy and Terence.

Death

During the last years of his life, Kennedy had thyroid cancer and eye disease. He spent much of his later life in Savannah, Georgia, out of the public eye.

Filmography

*''

'' (1940) as Eddie Kenny *'' High Sierra'' (1941) as 'Red' *''Knockout'' (1941) as Johnny Rocket *''

Strange Alibi ''Strange Alibi'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman, written by Kenneth Gamet, Leslie T. White and Fred Niblo Jr., and starring Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale, John Ridgely, Florence Bates and Charles Trowbri ...

'' (1941) as Joe Geary *'' Bad Men of Missouri'' (1941) as Jim Younger *'' Highway West'' (1941) as George Foster *''

'' (1941) as Ned Sharp *''

Desperate Journey ''Desperate Journey'' is a 1942 American World War II action and aviation film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Raymond Massey, Alan Hale Sr., and Arthur Kennedy. The melodramatic f ...

'' (1942) as Flying Officer Jed Forrest *''

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

'' (1943) as Bombardier *''Reconnaissance Pilot'' (1943, documentary short) as Decoration Announcer (voice, uncredited) *''

Resisting Enemy Interrogation ''Resisting Enemy Interrogation'' is a 1944 United States Army docudrama training film, directed by Robert B. Sinclair and written by Harold Medford and Owen Crump. The cast includes Arthur Kennedy, Mel Tormé, Lloyd Nolan, Craig Stevens and ...

'' (1944) as Sgt. Alfred Mason (uncredited) *''Ditch and Live'' (1944, Short) as Captain Scott H. Reynolds (uncredited) *''Time to Kill'' (1945, Short) as Narrator (uncredited) *''Target - Invisible'' (1945, documentary short) as Narrator (uncredited) *''

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

'' (1946) as Branwell Brontë *''It's Your America'' (1946, Short) as Soldier (uncredited) *''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

'' (1947) as John Waldron *''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

'' (1947) as Chalk *'' The Walking Hills'' (1949) as Chalk *''

'' (1949) as Connie *'' The Window'' (1949) as Ed Woodry *''

Too Late for Tears ''Too Late for Tears'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Byron Haskin and starring Lizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy, Dan Duryea, and Don DeFore. It concerns a ruthless femme fatale's murderous attempt to hold on to a suitcase containing US$60,000 ($ ...

'' (1949) as Alan Palmer *'' Chicago Deadline'' (1949) as Tommy Ditman *''

'' (1950) as Tom Wingfield *'' Bright Victory'' (1951) as Larry Nevins *'' Red Mountain'' (1951) as Lane Waldron *'' Bend of the River'' (1952) as Emerson Cole *'' Rancho Notorious'' (1952) as Vern Haskell *'' The Girl in White'' (1952) as Dr. Ben Barringer *''

The Lusty Men ''The Lusty Men '' is a 1952 Western film released by Wald-Krasna Productions and RKO Radio Pictures starring Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy and Arthur Hunnicutt. The picture was directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by Jerry W ...

'' (1952) as Wes Merritt *''

Impulse Impulse or Impulsive may refer to: Science * Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time * Impulse noise (disambiguation) * Specific impulse, the change in momentum per uni ...

'' (1954) as Alan Curtis *'' Crashout'' (1955) as Joe Quinn *'' The Man From Laramie'' (1955) as Vic Hansbro *'' The Desperate Hours'' (1955) as Deputy Sheriff Jesse Bard *''

'' (1955) as Barney *''

The Naked Dawn ''The Naked Dawn'' is a 1955 American Technicolor Western film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring Arthur Kennedy and Betta St. John. Plot The story focuses on a poor but proud farmer named Manuel and his wife Maria. When glib-tongued drifte ...

'' (1955) as Santiago *'' The Rawhide Years'' (1956) as Rick Harper *'' Peyton Place'' (1957) as Lucas Cross *'' Twilight for the Gods'' (1958) as First Mate Ramsay *''

'' (1958) as Frank Hirsh *''The Ten Commandments'' (1959, TV Movie) *'' Home Is the Hero'' (1959) as Willie O'Reilly *'' A Summer Place'' (1959) as Bart Hunter *'' Elmer Gantry'' (1960) as Jim Lefferts *'' Claudelle Inglish'' (1961) as Clyde Inglish *'' Murder, She Said'' (1961) as Dr. Quimper *''

'' (1961) as Pontius Pilate *''

Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man ''Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' is a 1962 American adventure film directed by Martin Ritt based on Ernest Hemingway's semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams, and featuring Richard Beymer as Adams. A.E. Hotchner wrote the screenpl ...

'' (1962) as Dr. Adams *'' Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962) as Jackson Bentley *'' Attack and Retreat'' (1964) as Ferro Maria Ferri *'' Cheyenne Autumn'' (1964) as Doc Holliday *'' Murieta'' (1965) as Capt. Love *'' Joy in the Morning'' (1965) as Patrick Brown *''

'' (1966) as Bill Bowdre *'' Fantastic Voyage'' (1966) as Dr. Duval *''Monday's Child'' (1967) as Peter Richardson *'' Day of the Evil Gun'' (1968) as Owen Forbes *'' A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die'' (1968) as Tuscosa Marshal Roy W. Colby *'' Anzio'' (1968) as Maj. Gen. Jack Lesley *''

Hail, Hero! ''Hail, Hero!'' is a 1969 drama film directed by David Miller, starring Michael Douglas, Deborah Winters and Peter Strauss. David Manber wrote the screenplay based on the novel by John Weston. The picture was produced by Harold D. Cohen and was ...

'' (1969) as Albert Dixon *'' Shark!'' (1969) as Doc *''The Movie Murderer'' (1970, TV Movie) as Angus MacGregor *'' My Old Man's Place'' (1971) as Walter Pell *''A Death of Innocence'' (1971, TV Movie) as Mark Hirsch *''Crawlspace'' (1972, TV Movie) as Albert Graves *'' I Kiss the Hand'' (1973) as Don Angelino Ferrante *'' Ricco the Mean Machine'' (1973) as Don Vito *'' The President's Plane Is Missing'' (1973, TV Movie) as Gunther Damon *'' The Man from Independence'' (1974) as Tom Pendergast *'' Let Sleeping Corpses Lie'' (1974) as The Inspector *'' The Antichrist'' (1974) as Bishop Ascanio Oderisi *'' Killer Cop'' (1975) as Armando Di Federico *'' The Tough Ones'' (1976) as Ruini *' (1976) as Mike Jannacone *''La spiaggia del desiderio'' (1976) as Antonio *'' The Sentinel'' (1977) as Monsignor Franchino *'' Nine Guests for a Crime'' (1977) as Uberto *''Gli ultimi angeli'' (1978) as Il nonno *'' Bermuda: Cave of the Sharks'' (1978) as Mr. Jackson *'' Cyclone'' (1978) as The Priest *''Porco mondo'' (1978) as Senator Merelli *'' Covert Action'' (1978) as CIA Chief of Station, Athens *'' The Humanoid'' (1979) as Dr. Kraspin *'' Signs of Life'' (1989) as Owen Coughlin *''I figli del vento'' (1989, TV Movie) *''Grandpa'' (1990) (final film role)

References

External links

* *
Arthur Kennedy
at

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of At ...

*
Photographs
of Arthur Kennedy tombstone, Nova Scotia.
Literature on Arthur Kennedy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Arthur 1914 births 1990 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Deaths from cancer in Connecticut Deaths from brain tumor Donaldson Award winners Male actors from Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester Academy alumni Tony Award winners Male Western (genre) film actors United States Army Air Forces soldiers First Motion Picture Unit personnel 20th-century American male actors Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni