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Douglas Kennedy (actor)

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Douglas Kennedy
Kennedy in Gunsmoke (1960)
Born
Douglas Richards Kennedy

(1915-09-14)September 14, 1915
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 10, 1973(1973-08-10) (aged 57)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Resting placeNational Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu
Other names
  • Doug Kennedy
  • Keith Douglas
Alma materAmherst College
OccupationActor
Years active1935–1973
SpouseIsabell Russell
Children2

Douglas Richards Kennedy (September 14, 1915 – August 10, 1973) was an American actor who appeared in more than 190 films from 1935 to 1973.

Early years

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Kennedy was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Dion W. Kennedy.[1] He served in the U. S. Army from 1940 to 1945.[2]

Career

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Kennedy was a character player and occasional leading man in Hollywood. Making his debut in 1935, he played a significant number of supporting roles and was able to secure contract-player status, first at Paramount Pictures and later at Warner Brothers.

His acting career was interrupted by World War II service as a major in the Signal Corps with the Office of Strategic Services and Army Intelligence. After the military, he returned to films and played character roles, often western villains or territorial marshals, as well as isolated leads in low-budget pictures.[3]

Kennedy in The Amazing Transparent Man (1960)

Kennedy had a starring role in the series Steve Donovan, Western Marshal, with Eddy Waller as his sidekick Rusty Lee. He was also one of the policemen who vanishes in the science fiction classic Invaders from Mars.

He played the gunfighter William P. Longley in a 1954 episode of the series Stories of the Century, starring and narrated by Jim Davis.[citation needed]

In the 1957 (season one) Perry Mason episode 'The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink' he played the part of Detective Sergeant Jaffrey, eventually revealed as the murderer.

In 1958, he appeared as Steven Boles in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of The Lucky Loser". In 1960, he appeared as the murderer Lucky Sterling in the Perry Mason episode 'The Case of the Wary Wildcatter'. In 1965, he appeared as Brady Duncan in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Fatal Fetish".

In 1958, Kennedy appeared in Jim Davis' second series Rescue 8 in the episode "Calamity Coach". In the story, rescuers Wes Cameron (Davis) and Skip Johnson (Lang Jeffries) work to rescue three actors on location when a stagecoach tumbles down a mountain.[citation needed]

Kennedy played the role of Jay Brisco in the 1959 episode "Law West of the Pecos" of the series Colt .45. Frank Ferguson portrayed Judge Roy Bean, and Lisa Gaye was cast as June Webster.[citation needed]

Later, Kennedy portrayed Sheriff Fred Madden of The Big Valley, with Barbara Stanwyck. He made his last appearance in 1973 in three episodes of Hawaii Five-O, with Jack Lord.

Personal life and death

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Kennedy was married to Isabell Russell, and they had a son, Douglas Kennedy Jr.[4]

Kennedy died of cancer at age of 57 in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he had been for the shooting of Hawaii Five-O. He is interred at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.[5]

Selected appearances

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Films

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TV shows

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Career notes

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  1. ^ "Douglas Kennedy To Greet Mother". Valley Times. California, North Hollywood. December 6, 1947. p. 13. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "TV Actor Douglas Kennedy Endures In Lawman Roles". The Evening Sun. Maryland, Baltimore. January 30, 1968. p. 14. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Katz, Ephraim (1990). The Film Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). New York: Perennial Library, Harper & Row Publishers. p. 1278. ISBN 0-06-092027-0.
  4. ^ "Douglas Kennedy, Actor, Father of New Son". Valley Times. California, North Hollywood. May 8, 1947. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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