(Image: Paramount Pictures)
George Kennedy passed away yesterday at the age of 91.
Kennedy came from a family of actors and was a child actor himself. Then World War II came along. He served in the Army and then, after the war, stayed in. He served for 15 years before returning to Hollywood. His first big screen role was as a rebel soldier in the 1960 movie Spartacus. He became famous with a supporting role in the 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke. I remember him best in the Zucker brothers' series The Naked Gun.
Kennedy's obituary in the Washington Post quotes him on his love for his craft:
“Acting is beautiful,” he said. “If I’m prejudiced toward doing it, it is because of the joy that I derive from it. Add that to the fact that I didn’t have any other choices. I either talked to myself, or I didn’t talk to anybody.”
I've always liked George Kennedy. He always conveyed his characters in a relatable way. He came across as just the sort of guy you'd want to have a beer with.
-via Jonah Goldberg