Kennedy moved to New York City and, billed as John Kennedy, joined the
Group Theatre. He then toured with a classical repertory company. In September 1937, he made his Broadway debut as Bushy in
Maurice Evans'Richard II at the
St. James Theatre. In 1939 he played Sir Richard Vernon in Evans' Henry IV, Part 1.[2]
During
World War II, Kennedy served from 1943 to 1945 in the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) making aviation training films, both as a narrator and an actor. Many of those films serve as historical records of how aviators were trained and flight equipment was operated.[citation needed]
Of Kennedy's film work, he is perhaps best-remembered for his collaborations with director
Anthony Mann and co-star
James Stewart on Bend of the River (1952) and The Man from Laramie (1955), in both of which he played sympathetic villains. Kennedy also enjoyed film success in England during the 1950s, usually playing the lead role in b-movies whenever an American character was needed. He played mostly laid-back ladies' men, avuncular husband types or down-on-their—luck con men chancing it in the UK.[citation needed]
In 1974, Kennedy was a regular on the short-lived
ABCpolice dramaNakia, as Sheriff Sam Jericho.
Waning interest, ill-health, then comeback
With the death of his wife in 1975, failing eyesight, alcoholism, and thyroid cancer, Kennedy was reported as having lost interest in filmmaking. After Covert Action (1978), his next films were The Humanoid (1979) and Signs of Life (1989).[3]
Awards and honors
In 1949, Kennedy won a
Tony Award for best supporting actor as Biff in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the
Morosco Theatre.[2]
The New York Film Critics named him Best Actor for Bright Victory (1951).[2]
His performance in Trial won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.[2]
His portrayal of the newspaper reporter in Elmer Gantry (1960) gained him a Film Daily Award and a Limelight Award.[2]
Kennedy married Mary Cheffey in March 1938. They had two children: actress Laurie Kennedy and Terence.[2][4]
Death
During the last years of his life, Kennedy had thyroid cancer and eye disease. He spent much of his later life in Savannah, Georgia, out of the public eye.[5]
^James C. McKinley Jr., "Arthur Kennedy, Actor, 75, Dies; Was Versatile in Supporting Roles", The New York Times, 7 Jan 1990, p 30, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007) accessed 13 November 2011.
^
abcdefgMelissa Vickery-Bareford,
"Kennedy, John Arthur", American National Biography Online, (Feb. 2000), accessed 13 Nov 13 2011.
^Glenn Collins, "Arthur Kennedy: Comeback for a Curmudgeon", The New York Times, 30 Apr 1989, p H24, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (1851-2007) accessed 13 November 2011.