Jack Kennedy (March 10, 1922 – October 16, 1997) was an American actor and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He was known for playing Dion Patrick in the American western television series '' The Californians''.

Life and career

Kennedy was born in Otterbein, Indiana, where he was raised on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

. He attended

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

, from which he graduated in

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and English literature. His studies were interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, however, when he served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. He also studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. Kennedy began his career after he emigrated to France, in which he made numerous appearances in stage plays. He made his film debut in 1955, first appearing in the film ''

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell ''The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope war film directed by Otto Preminger, and starring Gary Cooper and co-starring Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger, and Elizabeth Montgomery in her film debut. The fi ...

''. Kennedy then made two appearances to the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

television series ''

Chevron Hall of Stars ''Chevron Hall of Stars'' is an American television anthology series which aired in 1956 in first-run syndication. It was produced by Four Star Productions, and was a half-hour series. Gene Roddenberry’s script ''The Secret Weapon of 117' ...

''. In 1957, he joined the cast of the new NBC western television series '' The Californians'' for its first season. Kennedy played as

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

Dion Patrick. While appearing in the first season, the television series had received low ratings for which his character was then removed. After being removed from the television series, Kennedy played as Pvt. Maslow in the film ''

Men in War ''Men in War'' is a 1957 black and white American war film about the Korean War directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as the leaders of a small detachment of American soldiers cut off and desperately trying to rejoin th ...

'' and as Lieutenant Ed Simmons in ''

Bailout at 43,000 ''Bailout at 43,000'' is a 1957 American drama film directed by Francis D. Lyon and written by Paul Monash. The film stars John Payne, Karen Steele, Paul Kelly, Richard Eyer, Constance Ford and Eddie Firestone. The film was released on May 1, ...

''. He guest-starred in television programs including ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'', ''

Frontier Circus ''Frontier Circus'' is an American Western television series about a traveling circus roaming the American West in the 1880s. Filmed by Revue Productions, the program originally aired on CBS from October 5, 1961 until September 6, 1962. Overview T ...

'', '' Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'', '' Lock-Up'', and ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

''. His final film credit was from the 1957 film '' The Tall Stranger'', where he played as Red. He also played as

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

er Brock Hayden in the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

television series '' The Doctors''. According to The Indianapolis Star, he was considered with an Irish and Swedish descent. Kennedy wrote the films '' The Dove'' and ''

Raise the Titanic ''Raise the Titanic!'' is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS ''Titanic'' to the surface of the Atlanti ...

''. He was a

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

for which his known work included ''The Domino Principle'' which was adapted into a 1977 film, directed and produced by

Stanley Kramer Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous "message picture, message films" (he would call his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a libera ...

. According to The San Francisco Examiner, Kennedy said he turned to writing because he no longer had the ego required to pursue an acting career.

Death

Kennedy died in October 1997 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at his home in

Kent, Connecticut Kent is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located alongside the border with New York, the town's population was 3,019 according to the 2020 census. Kent is home to three boarding schools: Kent School, the Marvelwood School ...

, at the age of 75.

References

External links

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Rotten Tomatoes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Adam 1922 births 1997 deaths People from Indiana Male actors from Indiana American male film actors American male television actors American male soap opera actors 20th-century American male actors Western (genre) television actors American male screenwriters 20th-century American screenwriters Screenwriters from Indiana DePauw University alumni American emigrants to France American people of Irish descent American people of Swedish descent American male novelists 20th-century American novelists