Arthur Kennedy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Kennedy
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Kennedy (right) in Stage 67 (1966)
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| Born |
John Arthur Kennedy
February 17, 1914 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | January 5, 1990 (aged 75) Branford, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1937–1990 |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Cheffey
(m. 1938; died 1975) |
| Children | 2 |
John Arthur Kennedy (born February 17, 1914 – died January 5, 1990) was a famous American actor. He performed in many movies and plays. He was known for being able to play many different kinds of characters. People especially loved how honest and real his acting felt on stage.
Arthur Kennedy won a special award called the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1949. This was for his role in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. He also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in 1955 for the movie Trial. He was nominated for an Academy Award five times, which is a huge honor!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Arthur Kennedy was born on February 17, 1914, in Worcester, Massachusetts. His father, John Timothy Kennedy, was a dentist. Arthur went to South High School in Worcester. He also graduated from Worcester Academy.
He loved acting and decided to study drama. He went to the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned his degree in 1934.
Acting Career Highlights
After finishing college, Kennedy moved to New York City. He joined a theater group called the Group Theatre. He started performing on Broadway in 1937 in a play called Richard II.
Arthur Kennedy got his start in movies when he was discovered by the famous actor James Cagney. His very first movie role was in 1940. He played James Cagney's younger brother in a film called City for Conquest. He went on to act in many Western films and police movies.
During World War II, from 1943 to 1945, Arthur Kennedy served in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). He helped make training films for pilots. He would act in these films and also narrate them. These films are now important historical records.
Kennedy appeared in many well-known movies from the 1940s to the 1960s. Some of these include High Sierra, Champion, The Glass Menagerie, Lawrence of Arabia, and Fantastic Voyage. He often played characters who were good people, but sometimes he played sympathetic villains.
He also had a very successful career on stage. He won a Tony Award for his role as Biff Loman in Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman in 1949. He was the first actor to play several important characters in Arthur Miller's plays. These included Chris Keller in All My Sons (1947) and John Proctor in The Crucible (1953). In 1961, he played the main role in the play Becket.
In the 1970s, Arthur Kennedy also appeared on television. He was a regular on a police TV show called Nakia in 1974.
Later Years and Comeback
After his wife passed away in 1975, Arthur Kennedy faced some health challenges. He had problems with his eyesight and thyroid cancer. For a while, he wasn't as interested in making movies. However, he did make a comeback in the late 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in films like The Humanoid (1979) and Signs of Life (1989).
Awards and Recognitions
Arthur Kennedy received many awards and honors for his acting.
- In 1949, he won a Tony Award for his role as Biff in Death of a Salesman.
- The New York Film Critics named him Best Actor for his work in Bright Victory (1951).
- His performance in the movie Trial earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
- He also won awards for his role as a newspaper reporter in Elmer Gantry (1960).
Oscar Nominations
Arthur Kennedy was nominated for an Academy Award five times.
| Year | Award | Film | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Best Supporting Actor | Champion | Dean Jagger – Twelve O'Clock High |
| 1951 | Best Actor | Bright Victory | Humphrey Bogart – The African Queen |
| 1955 | Best Supporting Actor | Trial | Jack Lemmon – Mister Roberts |
| 1957 | Peyton Place | Red Buttons – Sayonara | |
| 1958 | Some Came Running | Burl Ives – The Big Country |
Personal Life
Arthur Kennedy married Mary Cheffey in March 1938. They had two children together: a daughter named Laurie Kennedy, who also became an actress, and a son named Terence.
Death
In his later years, Arthur Kennedy suffered from thyroid cancer and an eye disease. He spent much of his time in Savannah, Georgia, away from the public eye. He passed away on January 5, 1990.
Images for kids
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Kennedy (right) in Stage 67 (1966)
See Also
In Spanish: Arthur Kennedy para niños
