George Kennedy, best known for his Academy Award-winning performances, is famous for his portrayals of tough, resilient characters in both film and television. His unique acting approach was deeply influenced by his own life experiences, including 16 years of service in the US Army. An unexpected injury cut his military career short, raising the question of whether he might have served longer under different circumstances or if his path was always meant to lead him to stardom in Hollywood.
George Kennedy’s early beginnings in show business
George Kennedy was born on February 18, 1925, in New York City, New York, into a family with connections to the entertainment world. His father was an orchestra leader and musician, while his mother had once been a ballet dancer, and both ensured that he was introduced to show business at an early age.
At only two years old, Kennedy made his stage debut in a touring production of Bringing Up Father. Sadly, his father passed away two years later, leaving his mother to raise him on her own.
Despite this setback, Kennedy continued to pursue his budding career, performing on the radio from the age of seven until World War II began. After completing high school, he chose to enlist in the US Army.
Serving under Gen. George Patton
George Kennedy initially tried to enlist in the US Army Air Forces, but his physical stature posed problems.
“I’m six-foot-four, and even in those days I weighed 210 pound,” Kennedy once reminisced. “I was interested in airplanes then, and I’m interested in airplanes now. The best explanation came from a master sergeant in the Air Force. He said, ‘George, there’s nothing wrong with you. But we can either put you in an airplane or we can put a 200-pound bomb in an airplane. We’d rather put the bomb in the airplane.'”
Instead, Kennedy enlisted as an infantryman in the US Army, serving under Gen. George Patton, whom he’d later portray in 1978’s Brass Target. One of the most notable engagements he participated in was the Battle of the Bulge. Reflecting on the war later in life, he commented on the danger he and his fellow servicemen faced.
“Kids who had never done anything more dangerous than play kickball in the street were shooting BAR’s 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,” he said.
Kennedy’s time with the military came to an end after 16 years due a back injury he suffered in the late 1950s. At the time of his retirement, he’d achieved the rank of captain and earned a number of recognitions, including two Bronze Stars.
Developing the US Army Information Office
While serving in the Army, George Kennedy drew on his experience as a radio actor to take on a new role as a disc jockey for the Armed Forces Network (AFN), in a setting much like that of the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam.
This role had a dual impact: it influenced both the Army’s trajectory and Kennedy’s personal career. For the military, it helped pave the way for the creation of the US Army Information Office, which provided technical support to the entertainment industry. For Kennedy, it offered valuable professional experience that would later shape his acting career after his service.
George Kennedy always played the tough guy
When George Kennedy left the Army, he worked as a technical advisor on the Phil Silvers Show (1955-59). While in this role, he sometimes played small, uncredited characters that influenced his desire to pursue professional acting. He subsequently gained supporting roles on various television series, typically playing a cowboy, outlaw or lawman.
Although he’d made several television appearances, Kennedy’s film debut came in the early 1960s. Some of the notable credits of his early movie career include Charade (1963), Flight of the Phoenix (1966) and The Dirty Dozen (1967). The one that shot him to new heights was Cool Hand Luke (1967), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. During this time, he shared the screen with other high-profile stars, including Paul Newman, Cary Grant, Kirk Douglas and Joan Crawford.
Kennedy appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows
During the 1970s and ’80s, Kennedy’s career took a bit of a dive, with him largely landing B-rated and low-budget films. As a result, he shifted gears to television. The late 1980s and ’90s changed this trajectory again, as the actor found new popularity, starring in the parody Naked Gun films.
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Overall, Kennedy was credited with over 200 film and television credits throughout his acting career. He retired from show business following his appearance in 2014’s The Gambler, and died two years later in Middleton, Idaho, at the age of 91.
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