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 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.
Photos
Movies (335)
Laurel & Hardy: Year Two
2024 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Our Gang Story
1994 · Officer (archive footage)
The Muppets Go to the Movies
1981 · Keystone Kop (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Best of Laurel and Hardy
1968 · Officer Kennedy (archive footage)
When Comedy Was King
1960 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Golden Age of Comedy
1957 · archive footage
My Dream Is Yours
1949 · Uncle Charlie
Unfaithfully Yours
1948 · Sweeney
Contest Crazy
1948 · Edgar
Variety Time
1948 · Edgar Kennedy (footage from 'I'll Build It Myself') (archive footage)
Dig That Gold
1948 · Edgar Kennedy
Brother Knows Best
1948 · Edgar Kennedy
Heaven Only Knows
1947 · Judd
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947 · Jake the Bartender
Do or Diet
1947 · Edgar
I'll Build It Myself
1946 · Edgar
Motor Maniacs
1946 · Edgar Kennedy
Trouble or Nothing
1946 · Edgar
Captain Tugboat Annie
1945 · Captain Bullwinkle
The Big Beef
1945 · Edgar Kennedy
You Drive Me Crazy
1945 · Edgar
Anchors Aweigh
1945 · Police Captain
It's Your Move
1945 · Edgar Kennedy
What, No Cigarettes
1945 · Edgar Kennedy
Feather Your Nest
1944 · Edgar
The Great Alaskan Mystery
1944 · Bosun Higgins
It Happened Tomorrow
1944 · Insp. Mulrooney
Radio Rampage
1944 · Edgar
Prunes and Politics
1944 · Edgar
Crazy House
1943 · Judge
The Girl from Monterrey
1943 · Doc Hogan, Fight Promoter
Hitler's Madman
1943 · Nepomuk - the Hermit
Hot Foot
1943 · Edgar
Inferior Decorator
1943 · Edgar
Air Raid Wardens
1943 · Joe Bledsoe
The Falcon Strikes Back
1943 · Smiley Dugan
Hold Your Temper
1943 · Edgar
Cosmo Jones, Crime Smasher
1943 · Police Chief Murphy
Duck Soup
1942 · Edgar
Hillbilly Blitzkrieg
1942 · Sgt. Homer Gatling
There's One Born Every Minute
1942 · Mayor Moe Carson
Cooks and Crooks
1942 · Edgar
In Old California
1942 · Kegs McKeever
Pardon My Stripes
1942 · Warden Bingham
Private Snuffy Smith
1942 · Sgt. Ed Cooper
Rough on Rents
1942 · Edgar Kennedy
A Quiet Fourth
1941 · Edgar
Gangs Of The City
1941 · Biff
I'll Fix It
1941 · Edgar
Westward Ho-Hum
1941 · Edgar
Blondie in Society
1941 · Dr. Glenn
An Apple in His Eye
1941 · Edgar Kennedy
Mad About Moonshine
1941 · Edgar
Drafted in the Depot
1940 · Edgar Kennedy
Remedy for Riches
1940 · George Browning
Li'l Abner
1940 · Cornelius Cornpone
Sandy Gets Her Man
1940 · Fire Chief Galvin
Who Killed Aunt Maggie?
1940 · Sheriff Gregory
A Trailer Tragedy
1940 · Edgar Kennedy
The Quarterback
1940 · Pops
The Bride Wore Crutches
1940 · Police Captain McGuire
Margie
1940 · Chauncey
Sunk by the Census
1940 · Edgar
Dr. Christian Meets the Women
1940 · George Browning
'Taint Legal
1940 · Edgar
Sandy Is a Lady
1940 · Officer Rafferty
Mutiny in the County
1940 · Edgar Kennedy
Charlie McCarthy, Detective
1939 · Inspector Dailey
Kennedy the Great
1939 · Edgar Kennedy
Laugh It Off
1939 · Judge John J. McGuinnis
Little Accident
1939 · Paper Hanger
Act Your Age
1939 · Edgar
Everything's on Ice
1939 · Joe Barton
Maid to Order
1939 · Edgar
It's a Wonderful World
1939 · Lieutenant Miller
Baby Daze
1939 · Edgar Kennedy
Clock Wise
1939 · Edgar
Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus
1938 · Arthur Bailey
A Clean Sweep
1938 · Edgar
Beaux and Errors
1938 · Edgar Kennedy
Hey! Hey! USA
1938 · Bugs Leary
Scandal Street
1938 · Daniel Webster Smith
The Black Doll
1938 · Sheriff Renick
Ears of Experience
1938 · Edgar
Hollywood Hotel
1938 · Callaghan
True Confession
1937 · Darsey
Edgar & Goliath
1937 · Edgar
Double Wedding
1937 · Spike
Tramp Trouble
1937 · Edgar
Super-Sleuth
1937 · Police Lt. Garrison
Dumb's the Word
1937 · Edgar Kennedy
A Star Is Born
1937 · Pop Randall
Bad Housekeeping
1937 · Edgar
When's Your Birthday?
1937 · Mr. Basscombe
The Other Fellow
1937 · Four Roles
Three Men on a Horse
1936 · Harry, the Bartender
Mad Holiday
1936 · Donovan
Vocalizing
1936 · Edgar Kennedy
Yours for the Asking
1936 · Bicarbonate
Dummy Ache
1936 · Edgar
San Francisco
1936 · Sheriff
Fatal Lady
1936 · Rudolf Hochstetter
Small Town Girl
1936 · Captain Mack
Robin Hood of El Dorado
1936 · Sheriff Judd
Will Power
1936 · Edgar Kennedy
The Return of Jimmy Valentine
1936 · Callahan
Gasoloons
1936 · Edgar Kennedy
The Bride Comes Home
1935 · Henry
$1,000 a Minute
1935 · Police Officer McCarthy
Little Big Shot
1935 · Onderdonk
In Love at 40
1935 · Edgar Kennedy
Woman Wanted
1935 · Sweeney
Edgar Hamlet
1935 · Edgar
A Night at the Biltmore Bowl
1935 · Edgar Kennedy
Sock Me to Sleep
1935 · Edgar
The Cowboy Millionaire
1935 · Willy 'Persimmon' Bates
Living on Velvet
1935 · Counterman
Rendezvous at Midnight
1935 · Mahoney
Brick-a-Brac
1935 · Edgar
The Silver Streak
1934 · O'Brien
Flirting with Danger
1934 · Jimmie Pierson
The Marines Are Coming
1934 · Sgt. Buck Martin
Poisoned Ivory
1934 · Edgar Kennedy
Kid Millions
1934 · Herman Wilson
Gridiron Flash
1934 · Officer Thurston
King Kelly of the U.S.A.
1934 · Happy Moran
A Blasted Event
1934 · Edgar
We're Rich Again
1934 · Healy, Process Server
Murder on the Blackboard
1934 · Detective Donahue
Money Means Nothing
1934 · Herbert Green
Wrong Direction
1934 · Edgar, Movie Director
Twentieth Century
1934 · Oscar McGonigle
Love on a Ladder
1934 · Edgar
Heat Lightning
1934 · Herbert
All of Me
1934 · Guard (uncredited)
King for a Night
1933 · Cop
Duck Soup
1933 · Street Vendor
What Fur
1933 · Edgar
Tillie and Gus
1933 · Judge
Quiet Please!
1933 · Edgar Kennedy
Good Housewrecking
1933
Professional Sweetheart
1933 · Kelsey
Cross Fire
1933 · Ed Wimpy
Son of the Border
1933 · Windy
Diplomaniacs
1933 · Chairman - Peace Conference
A Merchant of Menace
1933 · Edgar
Scarlet River
1933 · Sam Gilroy
Art in the Raw
1933
Fish Feathers
1932 · Edgar Kennedy
The Penguin Pool Murder
1932 · Officer Donovan
Rockabye
1932 · Water Wagon Driver (uncredited)
Little Orphan Annie
1932 · Daddy Warbucks
Hold 'Em Jail
1932 · Warden Elmer Jones
Giggle Water
1932 · Edgar
Now's the Time
1932
Westward Passage
1932 · Elmer
The Spot on the Rug
1932 · Jake
He's a Honey
1932
Carnival Boat
1932 · Baldy
Never the Twins Shall Meet
1932 · Mr. Carp
Bad Company
1931 · Buffington-Doorman
Quick Millions
1931 · Cop (uncredited)
Love Fever
1931 · Thelma's Last Rescuer
High Gear
1931 · Cop
Next Door Neighbors
1931 · Howard J. Green
Help Wanted, Female
1931
Ladies Last
1930 · Man in Phone Booth
Moonlight and Monkey Business
1930 · Detective
Looser Than Loose
1930 · Night Club Patron
Bigger and Better
1930 · Uncle Ed Sutton, Director
Dollar Dizzy
1930 · Quimby the Lawyer
Doctor's Orders
1930 · Mary's Father / Gertie's Uncle
Girl Shock
1930 · Fiancee's Father
Fifty Million Husbands
1930 · Officer Kennedy, Director
The golf player
1930 · Director
The golfer
1930 · Director
All Teed Up
1930 · Thelma's Father (uncredited), Director
The Ghosts
1930 · Kennedy
When the Wind Blows
1930 · Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
The Big Kick
1930 · Detective
The Gas Station
1930 · Detective
The First Seven Years
1930 · Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
The Real McCoy
1930 · Cicero the Cop
Shivering Shakespeare
1930 · Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
The Head Guy
1930 · Station Master Kennedy (uncredited)
Thieves
1930
Night Owls
1930 · Officer Kennedy
Great Gobs!
1929 · 2nd Sailor
Angora Love
1929 · Landlord
Moan & Groan, Inc.
1929 · Kennedy the Cop (uncredited)
Stepping Out
1929 · Diner's Owner
Bacon Grabbers
1929 · Collis P. Kennedy
Welcome Danger
1929 · SFPD Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
They Had to See Paris
1929 · Ed Eggers (uncredited)
Crazy Feet
1929 · Policeman
Hotter Than Hot
1929
Perfect Day
1929 · Uncle Edgar
Dad's Day
1929 · Michael Kennedy
Madame Q
1929 · Judge Kennedy
The Big Squawk
1929 · Orchestra Leader
Hurdy Gurdy
1929 · Officer Ed Kennedy
Unaccustomed as We Are
1929 · Officer Kennedy
Trent's Last Case
1929 · Inspector Murch
Why Is a Plumber?
1929
Off to Buffalo
1929 · Mr. Brown
A Pair of Tights
1929 · Marion's Boyfriend's Boss
Going Ga-Ga
1929 · Cop
Chasing Husbands
1928
Feed 'em and Weep
1928
The Booster
1928
The Boy Friend
1928 · The Cop
Two Tars
1928 · Motorist
All Parts
1928
Is Everybody Happy?
1928
Should Married Men Go Home?
1928 · Golfer (uncredited)
Imagine My Embarrassment
1928
The Fight Pest
1928
You're Darn Tootin'
1928 · Director
Limousine Love
1928 · The Husband, Mr Glenders
From Soup to Nuts
1928 · Director
The Finishing Touch
1928 · Cop (as Ed Kennedy)
The Family Group
1928 · A Photographer
Dumb Daddies
1928 · The Cop
Leave 'Em Laughing
1928 · Cop
The Chinese Parrot
1927 · Maydorf
Wedding Bills
1927 · Detective
The Wrong Mr. Wright
1927 · Trayguard
The Gay Old Bird
1927 · Chauffeur
Finger Prints
1927 · O.K. McDuff (as Ed Kennedy)
Going Crooked
1926 · Detective
The Better 'Ole
1926 · Corporal Austin
Across the Pacific
1926 · Cpl. Ryan
My Old Dutch
1926 · Bill Sproat
Oh! What a Nurse!
1926 · Eric Johnson
The People vs. Nancy Preston
1925 · Gloomy Gus
The Golden Princess
1925 · Gewilliker Hay
The Trouble With Wives
1925 · Detective (as Edward Kennedy)
Paths to Paradise
1925 · Detective (uncredited)
The Marriage Circus
1925 · Director
Three Foolish Weeks
1924 · Director
All's Swell on the Ocean
1924
Wall Street Blues
1924 · The Crook
Racing for Life
1924 · Tom Grady
The Battling Fool
1924 · Dan O'Leary (as Ed Kennedy)
Fight and Win
1924
The Night Message
1924 · Lem Beeman
Something for Nothing
1923 · Ptomaine Tommy
The Wandering Two
1923
The Little Girl Next Door
1923 · Hank Hall
High and Dry
1922
Step Lively, Please
1922 · Director
The Guide
1921 · An American Tourist
Skirts
1921
Puppets of Fate
1921 · Mike Reynolds
The Adventures of Daredevil Jack
1920
Four Times Foiled
1920
Hearts and Flowers
1919 · Pete
Yankee Doodle in Berlin
1919 · German Prison Guard (uncredited)
She Loved Him Plenty
1918
Watch Your Neighbor
1918 · An Innocent Bystander
The Late Lamented
1917 · Art Gallery Operator
Whose Baby?
1917 · The Detective
The Blue Streak
1917
The Stolen Triumph
1916 · Edwin Rowley, Jr.
Bombs!
1916 · Tony Peanutty - Italian Ward Leader
A Scoundrel's Toll
1916 · Peter X. Bush - Streetcar Superintendent
Madcap Ambrose
1916 · A City Chap
His Bitter Pill
1916 · Diamond Dan - Jim's Rival
Fatty's Tintype Tangle
1915 · Edgar
Fatty’s Plucky Pup
1915 · Shell Game Operator
Miss Fatty's Seaside Lovers
1915 · Suitor
Mabel’s Wilful Way
1915 · Fatty's Pal
Wished on Mabel
1915 · Cop
His Luckless Love
1915 · The Maid's Boyfriend
That Little Band Of Gold
1915 · Diner / Man in Audience (uncredited)
Fatty’s Reckless Fling
1915 · Neighbor
Fatty's New Role
1915 · Handout-Giver (uncredited)
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition
1915 · 1st Street Crowd Participant (uncredited)
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day
1915 · The cafe waiter (uncredited)
The Great Vacuum Robbery
1915 · 2nd Thief
Tillie's Punctured Romance
1914 · Restaurant Owner / Banks' Butler (uncredited)
Ambrose's First Falsehood
1914 · Café Proprietor
Getting Acquainted
1914 · Policeman (uncredited)
Leading Lizzie Astray
1914 · The Slicker's Chauffeur
The Noise of Bombs
1914 · Police Chief
An Incompetent Hero
1914 · Fatty's Neighbor
'Curses!' They Remarked
1914 · Ethel's Former Boyfriend
Gentlemen of Nerve
1914 · Policeman
Dough and Dynamite
1914 · Striking Baker
The Love Thief
1914 · The Rival
He Loved the Ladies
1914 · The Wife's Brother
The Rounders
1914 · (uncredited)
The Sky Pirate
1914 · The Sky Pirate
Love and Bullets
1914 · The Trouble Mender
Mabel's Busy Day
1914 · Tough Hot Dog Customer (uncredited)
The Knockout
1914 · Cyclone Flynn (uncredited)
Caught in a Cabaret
1914 · Cafe Proprietor (uncredited)
Twenty Minutes of Love
1914 · Lover
Mabel at the Wheel
1914 · Spectator in Grandstand (uncredited)
A Bath House Beauty
1914 · Jealous Boyfriend
The Star Boarder
1914 · Landlady's Husband (uncredited)
Cruel, Cruel Love
1914 · Butler
His Favorite Pastime
1914 · Tough Guy in Bar
Tango Tangles
1914 · Dance Hall Manager (uncredited)
A Film Johnnie
1914 · Director (uncredited)
A Thief Catcher
1914 · Crook (uncredited)
Making a Living
1914 · Wreck Bystander (uncredited)
Little Billy's Triumph
1914
Rebecca's Wedding Day
1914 · The Groom
In the Clutches of the Gang
1914 · Cop
A Flirt's Mistake
1914 · Rajah
Zuzu, the Band Leader
1913 · Caesar - Zuzu's Rival
The Gusher
1913 · Cop (uncredited)
A Ride for a Bride
1913 · Mustached Man
Fatty Joins the Force
1913 · Jealous Cop
A Muddy Romance
1913 · Water Policeman
The Speed Kings
1913 · Laughing Spectator
A Quiet Little Wedding
1913 · Wedding Guest
The Bowling Match
1913 · Bowling Alley Operator
Mother's Boy
1913 · Mug
Mabel's Dramatic Career
1913 · Audience Member / Cop in Movie
Mabel's New Hero
1913 · Cop
The Riot
1913 · Cop
A Noise from the Deep
1913
Love and Rubbish
1913 · 1st Cop
Safe in Jail
1913 · 1st Crook
Rastus and the Game Cock
1913 · Spectator
Peeping Pete
1913 · The Cop
The Gangsters
1913 · Henchman
Their First Execution
1913
Mabel’s Awful Mistakes
1913
Algy on the Force
1913 · Cop
Bangville Police
1913 · 3rd Deputy
The Rural Third Degree
1913 · Cop
Parlor, Bedroom and Wrath
· Edgar
TV shows (0)
No credits available.