Highest rated as cast or director
Biography
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.
Acted in 166
2020s
- 2025
Airports
Movie
2010s
- 2014
- 2011
- 2010
Six Days in Paradise
Monty Crenshaw
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
2000s
- 2008
The Man Who Came Back
Judge Duke
The Boneyard Collection
Professor Zebediah Jones (segment "The Devil's Due at Midnight")
- 2007
- 2005
Don't Come Knocking
Director
Three Bad Men
Ed Fiske
Truce
Dr. Peter Gannon
- 2003
Monster Makers
Dexter Brisbane
1990s
- 1998
Men in White
Army
Dallas: War of The Ewings
Carter McKay
Hollyweird
George Kennedy
- 1997
Bayou Ghost
Officer Lowe
- 1996
Dallas: J.R. Returns
Carter McKay
- 1995
Santo Bugito
Ralph (voice) · 1 episode
- 1994
- 1992
Distant Justice
Tom Bradfield
Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
Father Dave Hagan
- 1991
Intensive Care
Dr. Bruckner
Driving Me Crazy
John McCready
Hangfire
Warden Barles
- 1990
Mayumi: Virgin Terrorist
Bahraini Investigator
1980s
- 1989
Ministry of Vengeance
Rev. Hughes
Esmeralda Bay
Wilson
- 1988
Nightmare at Noon
Sherrif Hanks
Private Road: No Trespassing
Sam Milshaw
Counterforce
Vince Colby
Born to Race
Vincent Duplain
What Price Victory
Big Buck Brayton
- 1987
The Gunfighters
Deke Turner
- 1986
Radioactive Dreams
Spade Chandler
Liberty
Seamus Reilly
- 1985
International Airport
Rudy Van Leuven
Rigged
Ben Wheeler
Half Nelson
Parsons
- 1984
A Rare Breed
Movie
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Bert
- 1982
Wacko
Mr. Doctor Graves
- 1981
The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire
Brakus
Modern Romance
George Kennedy / Zeron
- 1980
Hotwire
Farley & Harley Fontenot
1970s
- 1979
Steel
Big Lew Cassidy
Search and Destroy
Anthony Fusqua
Backstairs at the White House
Pres. Warren G. Harding · 4 episodes
- 1978
Brass Target
Gen. George S. Patton
Mean Dog Blues
Captain Omar Kinsman
- 1977
- 1975
The Blue Knight
Bumper Morgan
The Blue Knight
Officer Bumper Morgan · 24 episodes
- 1974
A Cry in the Wilderness
Sam Hadley
Sonic Boom
Ben Dover
- 1973
Deliver Us from Evil
Walter 'Cowboy' McAdams
Lost Horizon
Sam Cornelius
- 1972
A Great American Tragedy
Brad Wilkes
The Bull of the West
'Bear' Suchette
- 1971
The Priest Killer
Father Samuel Cavanaugh
Fools' Parade
Dallas 'Doc' Council
Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
Sarge Swanson
Sarge
Samuel Cavanaugh · 15 episodes
- 1970
Dirty Dingus Magee
Herkimer 'Hoke' Birdsill
Zig Zag
Paul R. Cameron
… tick… tick… tick…
John Little
1960s
- 1969
Gaily, Gaily
Axel P. Johanson
- 1968
The Pink Jungle
Sammy Ryderbeit
The Boston Strangler
Det. Phil DiNatale
The Legend of Lylah Clare
Matt Burke
- 1967
The Ballad of Josie
Arch Ogden
Hurry Sundown
Sheriff Coombs
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
See How They Run
Rudy
McHale's Navy
Henri Le Clerc
- 1963
Grindl
TV
The Man from the Diners' Club
George
- 1962
The Silent Witness
Gus Jordan
Lonely are the Brave
Deputy Sheriff Gutierrez
- 1961
Gunfight at Black Horses Canyon
Hawk
The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come
Nathan Dillon
The Asphalt Jungle
TV
Gunslinger
Sheriff · 1 episode
- 1960
1950s
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1955
Appearances10
2000s
- 2008
A Natural Born World-Shaker: The Making of 'Cool Hand Luke'
Self
- 2006
Armed and Deadly: The Making of 'The Dirty Dozen'
Self
1990s
- 1994
WWE SummerSlam 1994
Himself
- 1993
1980s
- 1982
The Jupiter Menace
Himself
1970s
- 1975
- 1973
1950s
- 1953
