Arthur Kennedy (actor)

Infobox Actor
name = Arthur Kennedy


imagesize = 200px
caption = Kennedy in "Champion" (1949)
birthname = John Arthur Kennedy
birthdate = birth date|1914|2|17|mf=y
birthplace = Worcester, Massachusetts
deathdate = death date and age|1990|1|5|1914|2|17
deathplace = Branford, Connecticut
spouse = Mary Cheffrey (1938-1975)
goldenglobeawards = Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1956 "Trial"
tonyawards = Best Featured Actor in a Play
1949 "Death of a Salesman"
awards = NYFCC Award for Best Actor
1951 "Bright Victory"
Walk of Fame - Motion Picture
6681 Hollywood Blvd
Walk of Fame - Television
1620 Vine Street

John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914 – January 5, 1990) was an American actor.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kennedy graduated from Worcester Academy and Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, where an award is presented every year to a deserving actor in his honor. He appeared both on the stage and screen, receiving a Tony Award for the role of Biff Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" (1949). Kennedy also inaugurated three other major characters in Miller plays: Chris Keller in "All My Sons" (1947), John Proctor in "The Crucible" (1953), and Walter Franz in "The Price" (1968). He also received five Academy Award nominations, never winning. He and Claude Rains share the record of four losing nominations for Best Supporting Actor Oscar.cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0447913/ |title=Arthur Kennedy |publisher=IMDb.com]

Kennedy got his break when he was discovered by James Cagney. His first film role was of Cagney's younger brother in "City for Conquest" in 1940. He portrayed good guys and bad guys equally, appearing in Western films and police dramas. He also turned in a worthy performance as a surgeon in 1966's "Fantastic Voyage".

He starred in several well-received films in the late 1940s and the 1950s, including "High Sierra", "They Died with Their Boots On", "Boomerang", "Champion", "The Window", "The Glass Menagerie", "Bright Victory", "Bend of the River", "The Lusty Men", "Rancho Notorious","The Desperate Hours","Lawrence of Arabia","The Man From Laramie", "The Naked Dawn","Trial", "Peyton Place", "Some Came Running", "A Summer Place" and "Elmer Gantry".

Kennedy was married to Mary Cheffrey from 1938 until her death in 1975. They had two children, Terrence and Laurie Kennedy. Laurie followed in the footsteps of her parents and became an actress. Both Mary and Arthur are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Nova Scotia, Canada.

References

External links

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* [http://ns1763.ca/annapco/kennedyja.html Photographs] of Arthur Kennedy tombstone, Nova Scotia.

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title = NYFCC Award for Best Actor
years = 1951
for" Bright Victory"
before= Gregory Peck
for "Twelve O'Clock High"
after = Ralph Richardson
for "The Sound Barrier"succession box
title = Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
years = 1956
"'for "Trial"
before= Edmond O'Brien
for "The Barefoot Contessa"
after = Earl Holliman
for "The Rainmaker"