| Birth: | Apr. 26, 1890 | | Death: | Nov. 9, 1948 | 
Actor. He worked in a variety of jobs as a young man, travelling across America, and eventually became a boxer. In addition to boxing, young Edgar also got noticed because of his singing voice. His first entry into the world of show business came when he sang in musical shows. Eventually he ended up in Los Angeles, where he was hired as an actor at Mack Sennett's famous Keystone Studios. According to legend he was one of the original Keystone Kops, but quickly moved from being a bit player to a supporting player. During the Teens and early Twenties he frequenly acted in short subjects with Charlie Chaplin, but after his Keystone contract ran out in 1921, he became a freelance actor. Occasionally in the course of his freelance work he returned to Keystone. In 1924 he married Patricia Violet Allwyn, with whom he had two children, Colleen and Larry. By the late Twenties Kennedy was a fixture at Hal Roach Studios, where he frequently acted as a foil to Laurel and Hardy. Kennedy's trademark persona was fully developed and perfected at Hal Roach Studios. He frequently played a police officer, but no matter what type of character he was playing, he was slow to fully anger, just getting more and more frustrated and annoyed till finally he let his rivals have it. This earned him the nickname "King of the Slow Burn." During the late Twenties Kennedy also directed two of Laurel and Hardy's two-reelers, 'From Soup to Nuts' and 'You're Darn Tootin.' In the Thirties he moved to RKO Studios, where he starred in a comedy serial called "The Average Man." He also frequently co-starred with Leon Errol during these years. In addition to over 200 short subjects, Kennedy also appeared as a supporting player in over 100 features, among them 'Hollywood Hotel' (1938), 'Duck Soup' (1933), 'Air Raid Wardens' (1943), 'A Star Is Born' (1937), 'In Old California' (1942), and 'Unfaithfully Yours' (1948). He was constantly working and in demand throughout his entire career, right up until his premature death of cancer at the age of fifty-eight. He died two days before a testimonial dinner a number of his friends in the acting business had been planning in his honor. (bio by: Carrie-Anne)
Cause of death: Throat cancer
Search Amazon for Edgar Kennedy | | | Burial:
Holy Cross Cemetery
Culver City
Los Angeles County
California, USA
Plot: Section D, Sacred Heart, Grave 7, Lot 193 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 2202 |
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