Edgar Kennedy
Known for Acting · 328 credits
- Born
- 1890-04-25
- Died
- 1948-11-09
- Place of birth
- Monterey, California, USA
- Also known as
- E. Livingston Kennedy · Ed. Kennedy · Edward Kennedy · Ed Kennedy
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic film character actor, known as "Slow Burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper. Kennedy is best known for a small role as a lemonade vendor in the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup, as well as the many Hal Roach films he appeared in.
Kennedy became so identified with frustration that practically every studio hired him to play hotheads. He often played dumb cops, detectives, and even a prison warden; sometimes he was a grouchy moving man, truck driver, or blue-collar workman. His character usually lost his temper at least once. In Diplomaniacs, Kennedy presides over an international tribunal, where Wheeler & Woolsey want to do something about world peace. "Well, ya can't do anything about it here", yells Kennedy, "this is a peace conference!" Kennedy, established as the poster boy for frustration, even starred in an instructional film titled The Other Fellow, in which loudmouthed roadhog Edgar always vents his anger on other drivers (each one played by Kennedy as well), little realizing that, to them, he is "the other fellow."
Perhaps his most unusual roles were as a puppeteer in the detective mystery The Falcon Strikes Back and as a philosophical bartender inspired to create exotic cocktails in Harold Lloyd's last film, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947). He also played comical detectives opposite two titans of acting: John Barrymore in Twentieth Century (1934) and Rex Harrison in Unfaithfully Yours (1948); in the latter, he tells conductor Harrison that "Nobody handles Handel like you handle Handel."
Kennedy died of throat cancer at the Motion Picture Hospital, San Fernando Valley on 9 November 1948. His body was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California.
Known For
Movies (328)
San Francisco
1936
as Sheriff
Professional Sweetheart
1933
as Kelsey
Small Town Girl
1936
as Captain Mack
Tango Tangles
1914
as Dance Hall Manager (uncredited)
Duck Soup
1933
as Street Vendor
Anchors Aweigh
1945
as Police Captain
The Knockout
1914
as Cyclone Flynn (uncredited)
Gridiron Flash
1934
as Officer Thurston
Unfaithfully Yours
1948
as Sweeney
Heat Lightning
1934
as Herbert
A Star Is Born
1937
as Pop Randall
Bacon Grabbers
1929
as Collis P. Kennedy
Crazy House
1943
as Judge
Scandal Street
1938
as Daniel Webster Smith
The Quarterback
1940
as Pops
Welcome Danger
1929
as SFPD Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Dummy Ache
1936
as Edgar
Woman Wanted
1935
as Sweeney
Wrong Direction
1934
as Edgar, Movie Director
In Old California
1942
as Kegs McKeever
The Booster
1928
Quiet Please!
1933
as Edgar Kennedy
Twentieth Century
1934
as Oscar McGonigle
Clock Wise
1939
as Edgar
Hey! Hey! USA
1938
as Bugs Leary
It Happened Tomorrow
1944
as Insp. Mulrooney
The Rounders
1914
as (uncredited)
Shivering Shakespeare
1930
as Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
Blondie in Society
1941
as Dr. Glenn
Getting Acquainted
1914
as Policeman (uncredited)
Baby Daze
1939
as Edgar Kennedy
Little Big Shot
1935
as Onderdonk
Finger Prints
1927
as O.K. McDuff (as Ed Kennedy)
Double Wedding
1937
as Spike
Rockabye
1932
as Water Wagon Driver (uncredited)
Bombs!
1916
as Tony Peanutty - Italian Ward Leader
His Bitter Pill
1916
as Diamond Dan - Jim's Rival
A Flirt's Mistake
1914
as Rajah
Tillie's Punctured Romance
1914
as Restaurant Owner / Banks' Butler (uncredited)
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
1976
as Self - Tribute Montage (archive footage)
Hollywood Hotel
1938
as Callaghan
Crazy Feet
1929
as Policeman
Act Your Age
1939
as Edgar
Caught in a Cabaret
1914
as Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
Making a Living
1914
as Wreck Bystander (uncredited)
Night Owls
1930
as Officer Kennedy
My Dream Is Yours
1949
as Uncle Charlie
A Thief Catcher
1914
as Crook (uncredited)
The Finishing Touch
1928
as Cop (as Ed Kennedy)
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus
1938
as Arthur Bailey
The Silver Streak
1934
as O'Brien
Robin Hood of El Dorado
1936
as Sheriff Judd
It's a Wonderful World
1939
as Lieutenant Miller
All of Me
1934
as Guard (uncredited)
Super-Sleuth
1937
as Police Lt. Garrison
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947
as Jake the Bartender
Captain Tugboat Annie
1945
as Captain Bullwinkle
The Penguin Pool Murder
1932
as Officer Donovan
'Curses!' They Remarked
1914
as Ethel's Former Boyfriend
Bangville Police
1913
as 3rd Deputy
When Comedy Was King
1960
as edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (archive footage)
Kid Millions
1934
as Herman Wilson
Hitler's Madman
1943
as Nepomuk - the Hermit
Quick Millions
1931
as Cop (uncredited)
The Gay Old Bird
1927
as Chauffeur
Three Men on a Horse
1936
as Harry, the Bartender
Unaccustomed as We Are
1929
as Officer Kennedy
Their First Execution
1913
Dough and Dynamite
1914
as Striking Baker
Bad Company
1931
as Buffington-Doorman
Prunes and Politics
1944
as Edgar
Air Raid Wardens
1943
as Joe Bledsoe
Poisoned Ivory
1934
as Edgar Kennedy
The Falcon Strikes Back
1943
as Smiley Dugan
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
1915
as Edgar
The Boy Friend
1928
as The Cop
We're Rich Again
1934
as Healy, Process Server
Brick-a-Brac
1935
as Edgar
King Kelly of the U.S.A.
1934
as Happy Moran
Madame Q
1929
as Judge Kennedy
A Bath House Beauty
1914
as Jealous Boyfriend
Gentlemen of Nerve
1914
as Policeman
$1,000 a Minute
1935
as Police Officer McCarthy
Murder on the Blackboard
1934
as Detective Donahue
King for a Night
1933
as Cop
Madcap Ambrose
1916
as A City Chap
Tillie and Gus
1933
as Judge
Mad Holiday
1936
as Donovan
True Confession
1937
as Darsey
Mabel's Busy Day
1914
as Tough Hot Dog Customer (uncredited)
Feather Your Nest
1944
as Edgar
Two Tars
1928
as Motorist
Mabel's Dramatic Career
1913
as Audience Member / Cop in Movie
Heaven Only Knows
1947
as Judd
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
1943
as Police Chief Murphy
Should Married Men Go Home?
1928
as Golfer (uncredited)
Little Orphan Annie
1932
as Daddy Warbucks
Fatty Joins the Force
1913
as Jealous Cop
Remedy for Riches
1940
as George Browning
Cruel, Cruel Love
1914
as Butler
The Riot
1913
as Cop
Perfect Day
1929
as Uncle Edgar
Scarlet River
1933
as Sam Gilroy
Dr. Christian Meets the Women
1940
as George Browning
The Gusher
1913
as Cop (uncredited)
The Chinese Parrot
1927
as Maydorf
Variety Time
1948
as Edgar Kennedy (footage from 'I'll Build It Myself') (archive footage)
The Golden Age of Comedy
1957
as archive footage
The Great Alaskan Mystery
1944
as Bosun Higgins
The Night Message
1924
as Lem Beeman
Hold 'Em Jail
1932
as Warden Elmer Jones
There's One Born Every Minute
1942
as Mayor Moe Carson
Sandy Gets Her Man
1940
as Fire Chief Galvin
The Black Doll
1938
as Sheriff Renick
The Bride Comes Home
1935
as Henry
Paths to Paradise
1925
as Detective (uncredited)
The Adventures of Daredevil Jack
1920
Radio Rampage
1944
as Edgar
Edgar & Goliath
1937
as Edgar
Never the Twins Shall Meet
1932
as Mr. Carp
About Edgar Kennedy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic film character actor, known as "Slow Burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper. Kennedy is best known for a small role as a lemonade vendor in the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup, as well as the many Hal Roach films he appeared in. Kennedy became so identified with fr… With 328 credits spanning from 1913 to 2024, Edgar Kennedy has appeared in 328 films and 0 TV shows.
Fans searching for Edgar Kennedy movies, Edgar Kennedy filmography, or the latest projects starring Edgar Kennedy can stream many of these titles on CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Edgar Kennedy Movies
- San Francisco (1936) — as Sheriff
- Professional Sweetheart (1933) — as Kelsey
- Small Town Girl (1936) — as Captain Mack
- Tango Tangles (1914) — as Dance Hall Manager (uncredited)
- Duck Soup (1933) — as Street Vendor
Where to Watch Edgar Kennedy Films
Most Edgar Kennedy movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Edgar Kennedy, check our movies catalogue and browse page.