Five Oscar nominations, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in the drama Court (1955). Helen and J. T.'s only child. Kennedy, Arthur went a thorny path from theatrical stage to world television screens.
Biography
Arthur Kennedy was born in 1914 in Worcester, a small Massachusetts town in the United States. The local Academy was his first step on the path to acting fame, discovering the natural talent and bright texture of the young man. The rest was completed by time, spotlights and "star" acquaintances.
Little is known about Arthur Kennedy's childhood and adolescence. After graduating from the Academy of Worcester, he continued his education at the Carnegie Mallon School of Drama - that was the name of the division of the College of Arts of the University of the same name - in the Department of Dramatic Arts. Graduates received a bachelor's degree and the opportunity to pursue a career in theater, which Arthur took advantage of by taking up a job at the Globe theater company.
While touring the troupe with a repertoire based on the works of William Shakespeare, the 24-year-old young man attracted the attention of Maurice Evans: this famous British theater actor has worked in the states for a long time, specializing in contemporary social dramas. Collaboration between Evans and Kennedy continued successfully until 1940, until a happy accident brought Arthur to meet James Cagney (pictured below) - in the future, this man with the role of a gangster will be called one of the most sought-after actors in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Career on screen and in theater
Arthur Kennedy's journey to the big screens began with this kind of food. His debut role in the film "Conquer the City" in 1940 (the adaptation of the work of the same name by Aben Candela) did not yet allow him to wake up famous, but was notable enough to get an invitation to "High Sierra" - Raoul Walsh's action adventure film. Kennedy's partners in the lead roles were Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart.
The Second World War also left its "combat" imprint on the career of Arthur Kennedy. Continuing his collaboration with Raoul Walsh, the actor starred in the biographical drama They Died in Their Posts, which illustrates the events of the American-Indian Civil War and the importance of George Armstrong Custer in this conflict. The film is about willpower, the desire to win in any circumstances. Then the main role in "Desperate Journey": a story about the real confrontation of the world with the aggressive policy of Germany. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects.
Kennedy, in the guise of a pilot, caught the eye of Howard Hawkes, who invited the actor to the military drama "Air Force", which tells about the B-17 bomber (Mary Ann) and its crew. In 1944, the action movie received an Oscar for Best Editing.
The classical school of drama, mastered by Arthur Kennedy in his youth, did not allow him to feel comfortable in mainstream cinema, so after the end of World War II he returned to the theater again, starting to build a career on Broadway. And not without success - in 1949 he became the owner of the young (founded in 1947) Tony Theater Award, which is awarded annually for achievements in the field of American theater, including Broadway musicals.
Returning occasionally to the screens, Arthur Kennedy agreed to a supporting role in the sports drama Champion (1949), which becomes the first of five in his collection of Oscar nominations. However, the statuette went to the film only for the best editing. And Arthur himself finally got the opportunity to demonstrate his dramatic potential on the screen, with a sincere anguish playing a person with disabilities.
Then there were "Bright Victory" (1951, "Golden Globe" for the best screenplay), "Trial" (1955, "Golden Globe" for the supporting actor), "Playton Place" (1957), "And They Run Up" (1958). Even if the pictures did not become Oscar-winning, the actor has already secured a "golden" train from numerous nominations.
On this, his creative success on the screen actually ended. 60s and 70s Kennedy spent not only in the United States, but also filming abroad. However, there were few significant works, and most were even recognized as failures at the level of film critics and among the audience. However, before leaving the profession altogether, Arthur Kennedy experienced two more triumphs.
A kind of religious drama, the adaptation of the novel of the same name "Elmer Gantry" (1960), where the actor got one of the leading roles, received the highest award in three nominations at once and did not go unnoticed by the world public. And after that - the best film in 1963, the owner of seven cherished statuettes, "Lawrence of Arabia". The historical drama about the English intelligence agent T. E. Lawrence brought together Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins.
In the early 80s, Arthur Kennedy officially left the set, moved with the children to a modest house on the outskirts of Connecticut. Still, his last role was in 1989. Director John David Coles persuaded the actor to appear in the drama Signs of Life, offering the role of one of the residents of a small town where a shipbuilding company was closed.
Personal life
The actor never flaunted her, so almost less is known about her than about the childhood and adolescence of Arthur Kennedy. In 1938, he married Mary Cheffrey for the first and only time, and only death could interrupt this love - his wife died in 1975. His family was children: son Terrence and daughter Laurie, with whom he spent the last years of his life.
And they turned out to be by no means simple: first, thyroid cancer, then a complication in the eyes. The immediate cause of death was a neglected malignant brain tumor.
Arthur Kennedy's grave is located at Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
