George Kennedy Dead at 91
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George Kennedy Dead at 91
George Kennedy 'Naked Gun' Star Dead at 91
George Kennedy, star of "Cool Hand Luke" and the 'Naked Gun' movies, has died at the age of 91 ... TMZ has learned.
George's grandson Cory Schenkel says Kennedy died Sunday morning at 4:30 AM in Boise, ID. He says his grandfather had been in failing health ever since his wife Joan died a little over a year ago. George had been under hospice care for the past month.
Kennedy won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1968 for "Cool Hand Luke." He also starred in all 3 of the 'Naked Gun' flicks, "Airport 1975," "Earthquake" and many many more.
His last role was in "The Gambler" with Mark Wahlberg in 2014.
George's grandson Cory Schenkel says Kennedy died Sunday morning at 4:30 AM in Boise, ID. He says his grandfather had been in failing health ever since his wife Joan died a little over a year ago. George had been under hospice care for the past month.
Kennedy won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1968 for "Cool Hand Luke." He also starred in all 3 of the 'Naked Gun' flicks, "Airport 1975," "Earthquake" and many many more.
His last role was in "The Gambler" with Mark Wahlberg in 2014.
#2
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Re: George Kennedy Dead at 91
Damn, now we have to wait a whole year for the Academy to not include him in the In Memorium segment.
Gonna miss him, loved him especially in the Naked Gun movies. A good dramatic actor, but he also brought the funny.
Gonna miss him, loved him especially in the Naked Gun movies. A good dramatic actor, but he also brought the funny.
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Re: George Kennedy Dead at 91
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Re: George Kennedy Dead at 91
Oddly enough, I remember him best as the feuding neighbour on Dallas. R.I.P.
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Re: George Kennedy Dead at 91
I met him almost ten years ago at a convention and the guy looked totally out of it and could barely walk. I thought he was going to pass while signing my DVD copy of "The Human Factor". Surprised he made it so much longer. Always loved seeing him pop up in old movies. The man had great presence on screen.
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Not ridiculous at all. And given the example here, a lot of people didn't know of him until the Naked Gun movies. After all, it prompted me to look for other movies he was in. I was totally surprised he was a dramatic actor until I saw a lot of his earlier stuff. And it blew me away when I realized he was in Cool Hand Luke.
Last edited by E Unit; 02-29-16 at 09:38 PM.
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Re: George Kennedy Dead at 91
It seems like we are losing someone every week right now!
Doesn't sound so strange considering people die every day, but when these people are part of our collective memory... Well it sucks. Circle of life and all that. Acting has always seemed like a strange profession to aspire to. Until you consider what an impact a movie or a character can make in our lives. Yep, it's got me pondering.
Doesn't sound so strange considering people die every day, but when these people are part of our collective memory... Well it sucks. Circle of life and all that. Acting has always seemed like a strange profession to aspire to. Until you consider what an impact a movie or a character can make in our lives. Yep, it's got me pondering.
#21
Re: George Kennedy Dead at 91
I saw him in a lot of movies growing up, starting with CHARADE, and got to watch his career take off after COOL HAND LUKE. I especially like him as a comic thug opposite Clint Eastwood in Cimino's THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT.
Two years ago, I caught a "Gunsmoke" episode called "The Boys" from the early '60s in which Kennedy was the oldest of three outlaw brothers, the other two played by Harry Dean Stanton and Michael Parks!
Here he is with Paul Newman in his Oscar-winning role in COOL HAND LUKE:
Ironically, he died on the day of the latest Oscar telecast, 48 years after his own win.
Two years ago, I caught a "Gunsmoke" episode called "The Boys" from the early '60s in which Kennedy was the oldest of three outlaw brothers, the other two played by Harry Dean Stanton and Michael Parks!
Here he is with Paul Newman in his Oscar-winning role in COOL HAND LUKE:
Ironically, he died on the day of the latest Oscar telecast, 48 years after his own win.
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