George Kennedy (February 18, 1925 – February 28, 2016) was a beloved and prolific American actor, a World War II veteran whose towering height and tough-guy persona made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable and respected character actors for over 50 years.
After a long career in television Westerns, Kennedy became a major film star in the 1960s, specializing in playing no-nonsense heavies and authority figures. His career peaked with a powerful, Oscar-winning performance as the brutal but respected chain-gang leader Dragline, who torments and ultimately befriends Paul Newman in the classic prison drama Cool Hand Luke (1967). He also appeared in the all-star war film The Dirty Dozen (1967).
In the 1970s, he became a staple of the disaster film genre, most famously playing the cigar-chomping, problem-solving airline mechanic Joe Patroni in the blockbuster Airport (1970) and its three sequels. Late in his career, he showcased a brilliant gift for comedy, playing the kind-hearted but bumbling Captain Ed Hocken opposite Leslie Nielsen in the hugely successful Naked Gun film trilogy, cementing his legacy as a remarkably versatile and enduring Hollywood stalwart.
