Acting
George Kennedy
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.
Filmography
Airports
Film · 2025
The Gambler
Film · 2014
Another Happy Day
Film · 2011
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
Film · 2010
Six Days in Paradise
Film · 2010
The Man Who Came Back
Film · 2008
A Natural Born World-Shaker: The Making of 'Cool Hand Luke'
Film · 2008
The Boneyard Collection
Film · 2008
Sands of Oblivion
Film · 2007
Armed and Deadly: The Making of 'The Dirty Dozen'
Film · 2006
Don't Come Knocking
Film · 2005
Truce
Film · 2005
Three Bad Men
Film · 2005
Monster Makers
Film · 2003
View from the Top
Film · 2003
Small Soldiers
Film · 1998
Dennis the Menace Strikes Again!
Film · 1998
Dallas: War of The Ewings
Film · 1998
Hollyweird
Film · 1998
Men in White
Film · 1998
Cats Don't Dance
Film · 1997
Bayou Ghost
Film · 1997
Dallas: J.R. Returns
Film · 1996
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Series · 1996
Santo Bugito
Series · 1995
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Film · 1994
WWE SummerSlam 1994
Film · 1994
Duckman
Series · 1994
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Series · 1993
Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
Film · 1992
Distant Justice
Film · 1992
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
Film · 1991
Intensive Care
Film · 1991
Hangfire
Film · 1991
Driving Me Crazy
Film · 1991
The Commish
Series · 1991
Brain Dead
Film · 1990
Hired to Kill
Film · 1990
Mayumi: Virgin Terrorist
Film · 1990
Good Cops, Bad Cops
Film · 1990
Wings
Series · 1990
The Terror Within
Film · 1989
Ministry of Vengeance
Film · 1989
Esmeralda Bay
Film · 1989
Demonwarp
Film · 1988
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Film · 1988
Uninvited
Film · 1988
Nightmare at Noon
Film · 1988
Born to Race
Film · 1988
Top Line
Film · 1988
Private Road: No Trespassing
Film · 1988
Counterforce
Film · 1988
What Price Victory
Film · 1988
Creepshow 2
Film · 1987
The Gunfighters
Film · 1987
The Gambler: The Legend Continues
Film · 1987
The Delta Force
Film · 1986
Radioactive Dreams
Film · 1986
Liberty
Film · 1986
Savage Dawn
Film · 1985
International Airport
Film · 1985
Half Nelson
Film · 1985
Rigged
Film · 1985
Bolero
Film · 1984
The Jesse Owens Story
Film · 1984
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Film · 1984
A Rare Breed
Film · 1984
Wacko
Film · 1982
The Jupiter Menace
Film · 1982
Just Before Dawn
Film · 1981
The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
Film · 1981
Modern Romance
Film · 1981
Death Ship
Film · 1980
Virus
Film · 1980
Hotwire
Film · 1980
The Concorde... Airport '79
Film · 1979
Search and Destroy
Film · 1979
The Double McGuffin
Film · 1979
Steel
Film · 1979
Backstairs at the White House
Series · 1979
Death on the Nile
Film · 1978
Brass Target
Film · 1978
Mean Dog Blues
Film · 1978
Death on the Nile: Making of Featurette
Film · 1978
Dallas
Series · 1978
Airport '77
Film · 1977
Proof of the Man
Film · 1977
The Eiger Sanction
Film · 1975
The Human Factor
Film · 1975
The Blue Knight
Film · 1975
The Lion Roars Again
Film · 1975
Saturday Night Live
Series · 1975
The Blue Knight
Series · 1975
Earthquake
Film · 1974
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Film · 1974
Airport 1975
Film · 1974
A Cry in the Wilderness
Film · 1974
Sonic Boom
Film · 1974
Cahill: United States Marshal
Film · 1973
Lost Horizon
Film · 1973
Deliver Us from Evil
Film · 1973
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Series · 1973
The Bull of the West
Film · 1972
A Great American Tragedy
Film · 1972
Fools' Parade
Film · 1971
Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
Film · 1971
The Priest Killer
Film · 1971
Sarge
Series · 1971
Airport
Film · 1970
Dirty Dingus Magee
Film · 1970
Zig Zag
Film · 1970
… tick… tick… tick…
Film · 1970
Guns of the Magnificent Seven
Film · 1969
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
Film · 1969
Gaily, Gaily
Film · 1969
The Boston Strangler
Film · 1968
Bandolero!
Film · 1968
The Pink Jungle
Film · 1968
The Legend of Lylah Clare
Film · 1968
Cool Hand Luke
Film · 1967
The Dirty Dozen
Film · 1967
The Ballad of Josie
Film · 1967
Hurry Sundown
Film · 1967
Ironside
Series · 1967
Tarzan
Series · 1966
The Flight of the Phoenix
Film · 1965
Shenandoah
Film · 1965
The Sons of Katie Elder
Film · 1965
Mirage
Film · 1965
In Harm's Way
Film · 1965
Laredo
Series · 1965
The Big Valley
Series · 1965
The Legend of Jesse James
Series · 1965
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Film · 1964
Strait-Jacket
Film · 1964
See How They Run
Film · 1964
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Film · 1964
McHale's Navy
Film · 1964
The Rogues
Series · 1964
Daniel Boone
Series · 1964
Charade
Film · 1963
The Man from the Diners' Club
Film · 1963
The Great Adventure
Series · 1963
Grindl
Series · 1963
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Series · 1963
Lonely are the Brave
Film · 1962
Going My Way
Series · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Series · 1962
The Merv Griffin Show
Series · 1962
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
Film · 1961
Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon
Film · 1961
Dr. Kildare
Series · 1961
The Asphalt Jungle
Series · 1961
Kraft Mystery Theatre
Series · 1961
Dr. Kildare
Series · 1961
The Mike Douglas Show
Series · 1961
Gunslinger
Series · 1961
The Andy Griffith Show
Series · 1960
Route 66
Series · 1960
The Tall Man
Series · 1960
Outlaws
Series · 1960
Thriller
Series · 1960
Surfside 6
Series · 1960
Rawhide
Series · 1959
Riverboat
Series · 1959
Bonanza
Series · 1959
Bonanza
Series · 1959
77 Sunset Strip
Series · 1958
Peter Gunn
Series · 1958
Lawman
Series · 1958
Bat Masterson
Series · 1958
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Series · 1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Series · 1957
Sugarfoot
Series · 1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Series · 1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Series · 1957
Sugarfoot
Series · 1957
Maverick
Series · 1957
Cheyenne
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
The Phil Silvers Show
Series · 1955
The Oscars
Series · 1953