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The death of towering, burly character actor George Kennedy has been announced, he had been in declining health for some months. He was a military man originally, but moved into acting in the 1950s, mostly on television, where his imposing frame and gruff attitude made him a natural for playing the bully or the hard man, belying the fact that off camera he was renowned for being one of the nicest guys around. In the 1960s, he started to appear in films, including cult favourites like Lonely are the Brave, Charade, Strait-Jacket, Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte, Flight of the Phoenix, Hurry Sundown, The Dirty Dozen, Cool Hand Luke (winning him an Oscar) and The Boston Strangler. Come the 1970s, he won the role that he would be most identified with in the Airport series, he would appear in all four entries.
Also in that decade, he had memorable turns in Lost Horizon, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (one of his most despicable villains), Earthquake and The Eiger Sanction, and as he moved into the 1980s he tried his hand at comedy with The Naked Gun series with unexpectedly endearing results for those used to his bad guy roles. Also horror: Death Ship, Just Before Dawn, Wacko, Creepshow 2 and Brain Dead. Not to mention efforts like Bolero, Radioactive Dreams, The Delta Force and Small Soldiers; he was working up until a couple of years ago, his last credit alongside Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler. A fine, varied career for a modest, talented man. |
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