George Kennedy, 'Cool Hand Luke' Oscar winner, dead
- 8 years ago
George Kennedy, the brawny, Oscar-winning character actor known for playing cops, soldiers and blue-collar authority figures in such films as "Cool Hand Luke," "Airport" and the "Naked Gun" films, has died.
The New York-born Kennedy came by his military gravitas honestly; he served in World War II and spent 16 years in the U.S. Army, many of them with Armed Forces Radio.
Among his early notable films were 1963's "Charade," in which he played one of the criminal gang threatening Audrey Hepburn's character, and 1965's "The Flight of the Phoenix," in which he played a passenger on James Stewart's stranded airplane.
He played Joe Patroni, the mechanic and problem solver who was the one constant in the 1970s "Airport" movies.
He and Raymond Burr were friendly - Kennedy guest-starred on both "Perry Mason" and "Ironside" - and Kennedy told the Smashing Interviews website that they used to break each other up.
The New York-born Kennedy came by his military gravitas honestly; he served in World War II and spent 16 years in the U.S. Army, many of them with Armed Forces Radio.
Among his early notable films were 1963's "Charade," in which he played one of the criminal gang threatening Audrey Hepburn's character, and 1965's "The Flight of the Phoenix," in which he played a passenger on James Stewart's stranded airplane.
He played Joe Patroni, the mechanic and problem solver who was the one constant in the 1970s "Airport" movies.
He and Raymond Burr were friendly - Kennedy guest-starred on both "Perry Mason" and "Ironside" - and Kennedy told the Smashing Interviews website that they used to break each other up.