Arthur Kennedy
(1914 - 1990)How good was Arthur Kennedy? He was a five time Oscar nominee, he won a Tony award for "Death of a Salesman" on stage, he won a New York Film Critics award for Best Actor in 1951 for "Bright Victory" and he appeared in over 80 films. He was another intense actor, much like Kevin McCarthy, in fact they had much in common; both were born three days apart in 1914, both had success on stage in "Death of a Salesman" and their careers were quite similar. Kennedy, tall, with a weather-beaten, serious looking face that had a sort of built-in sneer, steely blue eyes and a brooding demeanor, was often cast as surly individuals, cynical types and heels but he was flexible enough for any role. He was born John Arthur Kennedy on February 17, 1914 in Worcester, Massachusetts the son of a dentist and grew up there. He attended Carnegie Institute of Technology. He later became involved in local theatre groups and was active on stage from the age of 20. In 1938 he married Mary Cheffrey and they had two children Terence and Laurie. Mary died in 1975. He was discovered by James Cagney while acting on stage in L.A. and was soon acting in films. The Kennedys moved to Los Angeles in 1938. His very impressive list of film credits includes: "City for Conquest" (1940) with Cagney, as Eddie Kenny, his film debut; "High Sierra" (1941) with Humphrey Bogart, as Red Hattery, a terrific role; "They Died with Their Boots On" (1941) as Ned Sharp; "Desperate Journey" (1942) as Flying Officer Jed Forrest; "Boomerang!" (1947) as John Waldron; "The Window" (1949) with Bobby Driscoll, as Mr. Woodry, a fabulous little film; "Champion" (1949) with Kirk Douglas, as Connie Kelly, his first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor; "The Glass Menagerie" (1950) as Tom Wingfield; "Bright Victory" (1951) as Larry Nevins, his second Oscar nomination and only Best Actor nod; "Rancho Notorious" (1952) as Vern Haskell; "Bend of the River" (1952) as Emerson Cole; "Trial" (1955) as Barney Castle, his third Oscar nomination; "The Desperate Hours" (1955) with Bogart and Frederic March, as Dep. Sheriff Jesse Bard; "Peyton Place" (1957) as Lucas Cross, his fourth Oscar nomination; ":Some Came Running" (1958) as Frank Hirsh, his fifth and final Oscar nomination; "A Summer Place" (1959) as Bart Hunter; "Elmer Gantry" (1960) with Burt Lancaster, as Jim Lefferts; "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) as Jackson Bentley; "Barabbas" (1962) as Pontius Pilate; "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964) as Doc Holliday; "Nevada Smith" (1966) with Steve McQueen, as Bill Bowdre, one of my favorite of his roles; "Fantastic Voyage" (1966) as Dr. Duval; "Anzio" (1968) as Gen. Lesley; "The Sentinel" (1977) as Monsignor Franchino; "Covert Action" (1978) as CIA Chief Athens; "Signs of Life" (1989) as Owen Coughlin and "Grandpa" (1990) his last film. He worked in Italian films during the 1970s. He not only worked with the "greats", he was one of them. On TV he was the Narrator of the "F.D.R." documentary series and he starred as Sheriff Sam Jericho on "Nakia" (1974). He also starred in TV movies including: "Appalachian Autumn" (1969); "Crawlspace" (1971) and "The President's Plane is Missing" (1973). He also guested on TV shows in the 1950s & 60s including: "Zane Grey Theatre"; "Playhouse 90"; "Alcoa Premiere" and "Kraft Suspense Theatre." He died of a brain tumor on January 5, 1990 in Branford, Connecticut at age 75.
From Great Character Actors, Page 6.
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