Liberty Lighthouse Journal: DOSSIER

“I have been so fortunate and I really am appreciative of the success I've had.”

BORN: February 18^th, 1925

DIED: February 28^th, 2016

BIRTH NAME: George Harris Kennedy Jr.

HEIGHT: 6' 4”

Born in New York City to Helen A. (Kieselbach) Kennedy, a ballet dancer and George Harris Kennedy, an orchestra leader and musician. His maternal grandfather was a German immigrant; his other ancestry was Irish and English. His father died when he was four-years-old.
At age 2, George made his stage debut in “Bringing Up Father” and at age seven he became a New York City radio DJ.
George attended high school in Mineola, New York and graduated in 1943. He enrolled at the John Tarleton Agricultural College under the Army Specialized Training Program.
During World War II, Kennedy enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18. He chose to be assigned to the Army Air Corps because he was (throughout his life) interested in airplanes. His height & weight made it impossible for him to serve aboard combat aircraft. A Master Sergeant said to him: “George, there's nothing wrong with you. But we can either put you on an airplane or we can put a 200-pound bomb in an airplane. We'd rather put the bomb in the airplane.” Kennedy served in the Army for 16 years attaining the rank of Captain. He became a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio and helped establish the Army Information Office that provided technical service to the film and television industries.
In World War II, Kennedy served under the command of General George Patton, and later stated:

“Kids who had never done anything more dangerous than play kickball in the street were shooting BARs and mortars and killing each other... The war was one horrendous surprise after another. I can't think of anything I did during the war that did not involve death.”

Kennedy fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned two Bronze Stars. After the war, George reenlisted to continue his military career. A back injury ended Kennedy's military career in the late '50s. His showbiz connections in the military afforded him the opportunity for an acting career.

From 1955-1959, George was a technical advisor for CBS, sometimes making unaccredited appearances on the “Phil Silvers Show”. This encouraged him to take supporting roles on several TV series, usually Westerns.
1961 – The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come.
1962 – Lonely Are the Brave with Kirk Douglas portraying a sadistic jail guard.
1963 – Charade with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Portrayed a ruthless criminal.
1964 – Strait-Jacket with Joan Crawford.
1965 – The Flight of the Phoenix with James Stewart in the plane-crash thriller. Mirage with Gregory Peck.
1965 - In Harm's Way with John Wayne.
1965 - The Sons of Katie Elder with Wayne and Dean Martin.
1966 – The Legend of Jesse James TV series, in “Return to Lawrence” episode.
1967 – The Dirty Dozen.
1967 – Bandolero!
1967 – Cool Hand Luke, opposite Paul Newman. Portrayed a bully-convict who befriends another convict. It earned George an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This propelled his career and he became in demand for co-starring and supporting roles.

1968 – The Boston Strangler.
1969 - Guns of the Magnificent Seven.
1970 – Airport as Joe Patroni the airline troubleshooter.
1971-1972 – Sarge, NBC TV series.
1973 – Thunderbolt and Lightning, with Clint Eastwood.
1974 – Earthquake.
1975 – The Eiger Sanction, again with Clint Eastwood.
1975 – Airport 1975.
1975-1976 – CBS TV series, The Blue Knight.
1977 – Airport '77.
1978 – Death on the Nile, based on the Agatha Christie novel.
1978-1991 – CBS TV series, Dallas.
1979 – The Concorde: Airport '79.
1979 – Backstairs at the White House.
1984 – Bolero opposite Bo Derek.
1984 – The Jesse Owens Story.
1986 – The Delta Force.
1987 – Creepshow 2.
1988 – The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Opposite Leslie Nielsen.
1990 – Mayumi, a Korean film directed by Shin Sang-ok. Despite featuring Kennedy, the film saw no real release outside South Korea which made it a box-office failure.
1998 – Provided the voice of Brick Bazooka in the animated film Small Soldiers.
2003 – TV soap opera, The Young and the Restless.
2005 – Don't Come Knocking.
2014 – George Kennedy's final film appearance – The Gambler. He portrays the dying grandfather of Mark Wahlberg character.
George Kennedy was not just an actor but also an author of two mystery novels: Murder on Location (1981) and Murder on High (1984). He also published a memoir of his life, Trust Me: A Memoir in 2011. About his memoir, he said:

“I write like I talk. A long time ago I tried making 'talking and telling the truth' one and the same. That isn't difficult; it means painfully reviewing things you've been led to believe since you were a child. That's very hard to do. Like many, I have marched along adhering to conventions without examination. There's a wonderful, protective 'togetherness' in that anonymity. You obey or are damned, less joined together than stuck together. You become an echo rather than a voice. This book is about what happens when you stop fearing and think.”

PERSONAL INFORMATION & TRIVIA

In 1940s, George married Dorothy Gillooly (1926-2012), who had served in the Women's Army Corps. They had one son, Kevin Kennedy, before being divorced in 1950s. Dorothy returned to her home town in Buffalo, New York and raised their son there.
In 1959, Kennedy married Norma Wurman (1929-2007). The couple had two children, Christopher and Karianna. They divorced in 1971, remarried in 1973, and final divorce in 1978.
In 1978, Kennedy married Joan McCarthy, daughter of John Catagna. They remained married until her death in September of 2015. The couple adopted three children.
George Kennedy was friends with James Stewart. He provided the voice-over in a Turner Classic Movies tribute to Stewart.
Following his experiences working for the Far East Network, George Kennedy had a lifelong attraction to Japan and its culture.
Kennedy was the only actor to appear in all four of the “Airport” film series.
Because of his height and stature, Kennedy was often cast in the 1960s and 1970s as a bully or a thug. But off-screen he gained the reputation of being the nicest actor around. In the 1960s, he got the chance to play friendlier characters, such as Captain Ed Hocken in the “Naked Gun” movie series.
His acting career began when he was serving as a military consultant for the “Phil Silvers Show”.
In 1978, Kennedy was considered for the role of Lex Luthor in Superman, but the role went to Gene Hackman.
Kennedy was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6356 Hollywood Boulevard on October 31^st, 1991.
George's father was pianist and a composer/conductor at the Proctor's Theater in Manhattan and his mother danced with the vaudeville “Le Ballet Classique”.
In 2002, George underwent an emergency triple heart bypass surgery.
Kennedy lived in Eagle, Idaho until his death. He died on the morning of February 28^th, 2016 of heart problems at an assisted living facility in Middleton, Idaho – 10 days after his 91^st birthday.