GEORGE KENNEDY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

George Kennedy was born on February 18th, 1925 in New York City, New York.  His family was very involved in show business.  His father, George Kennedy was a musician and orchestra leader, but sadly passed away when George was only four years old.  His mother, Helen was a ballet dancer. 

At the age of only two years old, George made his stage debut and later became involved with working on radio as a performer.  He graduated from Chaminade High School in Mineola New York in 1943 and then went on to graduate from John Tarleton Agricultural College in Texas. When World War II came about, he put his acting career aside and joined the United States Army where he served for sixteen years.  He was also involved with opening the first Army Information Office which was responsible for providing technical assistance to films and television shows. 
 
When he suffered from a back injury he was forced to leave the military and decided to enter back into a career in the entertainment industry.  George began working on television westerns in the late 1950's and early 60's such as, "Have Gun - Will Travel" (1957) starring Richard Boone, "Rawhide" (1959) starring Clint Eastwood and "Maverick" (1957) starring James Garner and Jack Kelly. 

George was then able to get cast on a number of films taking on minor roles such as, "Spartacus" (1960) starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Woody Strode, Charles Laughton, Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin and Charles McGraw, "Lonely Are the Brave" (1962) starring Kirk Douglas, Walter Matthau, Gena Rowlands and Carroll O'Connor, "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965) starring John Wayne, Earl Holliman, Dean Martin, Michael Anderson Jr., Martha Hyer, James Gregory and Dennis Hopper, and "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1965) starring James Stewart, Hardy Kruger, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Ernest Borgnine nd Dan Duryea.
 
Kennedy also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film, "Cool Hand Luke" (1967) starring Paul Newman, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon, Ralph Waite, Wayne Rogers, Jo Van Fleet, Dennis Hopper, Morgan Woodward and Anthony Zerbe.  This role helped him secure some other film roles such as "Cahill, U.S. Marshal" (1973) starring John Wayne, "Earthquake" (1974) starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, Lloyd Nolan, Barry Sullivan, Victoria Principal and Genevieve Bujold  and "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974) starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, Gary Busey and Catherine Bach.
 
Kennedy has remained a admired and desired actor in Hollywood for many years.  He worked on more films later in his career such as, "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad" (1988), "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear" (1991) and also, "Naked Gun 33 1/2: The Final Insult" (1994).  He has been in the industry for a total of almost fifty years and is still admired and well received by the public today.  

He married a total of four times and his first wife's name is unknown.  Marriage number two was to Norma Wurman from 1959 through 1971 having two children together.  After the couple divorced they actually chose to reunite and try again two years later in 1973 but in 1978 they proceeded with another divorce.  His fourth time to marry was to Joan McCarthy in 1978 and they remain together today.  In total he adopted four children and in 1998 retired from acting and relocated to Idaho.  In 2004 he came out of retirement to work back in the film industry and is last known work in progress scheduled to release in 2011 is called, "Another Happy Day".    

Filmography

2011 Another Happy Day
2003-2010 The Young and the Restless  
2010 Mad Mad Wagon Party
2010 Six Days in Paradise 
2008 The Man Who Came Back 
2007 Sands of Oblivion
2005 Don't Come Knocking 
2005 Truce 
2005 Three Bad Men 
2004 The Devil's Due at Midnight
2003 Monster Makers 
2003 View from the Top 
1998 Men in White 
1998 Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! 
1998 Small Soldiers 
1998 Dallas: War of the Ewings 
1997 Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
1997 Cats Don't Dance 
1997 Bayou Ghost 
1996 Santo Bugito 
1996 The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
1996 Dallas: J.R. Returns 
1995 Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man 
1995 The Commish 
1994 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult 
1994 River of Stone
1994 Lonesome Dove: The Series
1992 Distant Justice 
1992 Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story 
1991 Intensive Care 
1991 The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
1991 IDriving Me Crazy
1988-1991 Dallas
1991 Hangfire 
1990 Good Cops, Bad Cops 
1990 Hired to Kill 
1990 Mayumi: Virgin Terrorist
1990 Brain Dead 
1989 Ministry of Vengeance 
1989 Esmeralda Bay 
1989 The Terror Within 
1988 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! 
1988 Uninvited 
1988 Top Line
1988 Death Street USA 
1988 Demonwarp 
1988 Counterforce
1988 Born to Race 
1988 What Price Victory 
1987 The Gunfighters 
1987 Creepshow 2
1987 Private Road: No Trespassing 
1987 Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues 
1986 Liberty 
1986 Rigged 
1986 The Delta Force 
1985 Savage Dawn 
1985 Radioactive Dreams 
1985 International Airport 
1985 Half Nelson 
1984 The Love Boat
1984 Bolero
1984 The Jesse Owens Story 
1984 A Rare Breed 
1984 Chattanooga Choo Choo 
1983 Fantasy Island 
1982 Wacko 
1981 Just Before Dawn 
1981 The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire 
1980 Hotwire 
1980 Day of Resurrection
1980 Death Ship 
1979 Steel 
1979 The Concorde... Airport '79 
1979 Never Say Never 
1979 The Double McGuffin 
1979 Backstairs at the White House
1979 Search and Destroy 
1978 Brass Target 
1978 Death on the Nile 
1978 Mean Dog Blues 
1977 Ningen no shômei 
1977 Airport '77  
1975-1976 The Blue Knight
1975 The 'Human' Factor 
1975 The Eiger Sanction 
1974 Earthquake 
1974 Airport 1975 
1974 Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 
1974 A Cry in the Wilderness 
1974 Sonic Boom 
1973 Deliver Us from Evil 
1973 Cahill, U.S. Marshal 
1973 Lost Horizon
1972 A Great American Tragedy 
1971-1972 Sarge
1971 Ironside  
1971 Fools' Parade 
1970 Dirty Dingus Magee
1970 Zigzag 
1970 Airport 
1970 ...tick... tick... tick... 
1969 Gaily, Gaily 
1969 The Good Guys and the Bad Guys 
1969 Guns of the Magnificent Seven 
1968 The Boston Strangler 
1968 The Pink Jungle 
1968 The Legend of Lylah Clare 
1968 Bandolero!
1967 Cool Hand Luke 
1967 Tarzan 
1967 The Dirty Dozen 
1967 Hurry Sundown 
1967 The Ballad of Josie 
1964-1966 The Virginian
1963-1966 Dr. Kildare
1960-1966 Gunsmoke 
1966 The Big Valley
1966 The Legend of Jesse James
1965 Laredo
1965 A Man Called Shenandoah 
1965 Daniel Boone 
1964 Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte 
1964 The Rogues
1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
1964 The Silent Witness 
1961-1964 Bonanza
1964 See How They Run 
1964 Island of the Blue Dolphins 
1964 McHale's Navy 
1963-1964 McHale's Navy
1964 The Great Adventure
1964 Strait-Jacket 
1963 The Farmer's Daughter
1963 Charade 
1963 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
1963 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963 Grindl
1963 The Andy Griffith Show
1963 Perry Mason
1963 The Man from the Diners' Club 
1962-1963 Alcoa Premiere 
1960-1963 Have Gun - Will Travel
196377 Sunset Strip
1962 Going My Way
1962 Lonely Are the Brave 
1962 Thriller 
1962 Outlaws 
1961-1962 The Tall Man
1962 Tales of Wells Fargo
1962 Death Valley Days
1962 Rawhide
1961 The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come 
1961 The Untouchables
1961 The Red Skelton Hour
1961 Bat Masterson
1961 The Asphalt Jungle 
1961 Gunslinger 
1961 The Case of the Dangerous Robin
1961 Klondike 
1961 Surfside 6
1960 Riverboat 
1960 Route 66
1960 Spartacus 
1960 Maverick
1960 Peter Gunn 
1960 Wanted: Dead or Alive
1960 Laramie
1960 Lawman
1960 Shotgun Slade
1959 The Deputy
1959 Cheyenne
1959 Colt .45
1956-1959 The Phil Silvers Show