US actor George Kennedy, who won an Academy Award for playing a hulking chain gang convict who pummels Paul Newman in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke and later earned laughs in the Naked Gun comedy films, has died.
George’s grandson, Cory Schenke, confirmed his death to TMZ who reported that he had been in hospice care for the last month.
Kennedy’s wife Joan passed away last year, and his own health had been failing ever since.
The Hollywood veteran had roles in Spartacus, Lonely Are The Brave, The Sons Of Katie Elder, The Dirty Dozen, Earthquake and Death On the Nile.
He also starred in The Guns Of The Magnificent Seven as well as in the Naked Gun series opposite Leslie Nielsen and O.J. Simpson.
Speaking of his Oscar win for Cool Hand Luke, George said: ‘The marvellous thing about that movie, was that as my part progresses, I changed from a bad guy to a good guy. The moguls in Hollywood must have said, “Hey, this fellow can do something besides be a bad guy.”‘
Agencies/Canadajournal
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