Arthur Kennedy

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John Arthur Kennedy (born February 17, 1914 in Worcester , Massachusetts , † January 5, 1990 in Branford , Connecticut ) was an American actor .

Life

After studying acting, Arthur Kennedy moved to New York on Broadway . There he played in several plays and among other things became a member of the respected Group Theater , which particularly endeavored to naturalistic acting and which became the pioneer of the Actors Studio . In his later reviews, Kennedy was conceded time and again to great complexity and credibility in his representations. At the end of the 1930s, the largely unknown Kennedy was discovered by James Cagney . With him he shot his first film Im Taumel der Weltstadt in 1940, directed by Anatole Litvak . Kennedy was best known for incisive supporting roles in crime films and westerns . Directed by Anthony Mann and alongside James Stewart , Kennedy played in the westerns Mutiny on the Snake River (1951) and The Man from Laramie (1955) plagued men who became villains mainly due to external circumstances. His other film roles included a criminal in decision-making in the Sierra (1941), the murderer Dr. Quimper in the Miss Marple crime thriller 4:50 p.m. from Paddington (1961) with Margaret Rutherford and newspaper reporter in the classic films Elmer Gantry (1960) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

Overall, he was nominated four times for Best Supporting Actor and once for Best Actor for an Oscar , but could not win the coveted award.

Kennedy was also successful at the theater : Elia Kazan cast him in 1949 as Biff in the world premiere of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman . For this role he received a Tony Award . He later played in the world premieres of other plays by Miller, such as John Proctor in Witch Hunt . From the 1950s, Kennedy was also seen in several television series as a guest actor, in the short-lived series Nakia, the Indian sheriff, he even took on one of the leading roles in 1974. In the late 1970s, he retired from the acting business. At the end of the 1980s, however, he returned to the camera again for three films. Shortly before his 76th birthday, he died of a brain tumor . He was married to Mary Cheffrey from 1938 until her death in 1975 and they had two children.

Filmography (selection)

Awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kennedy, Arthur
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kennedy, John Arthur (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 17, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Worcester , Massachusetts, United States
DATE OF DEATH 5th January 1990
Place of death Branford , Connecticut, United States