Edgar Kennedy, born on April 26, 1890, near Monterey, California, embarked on a journey as a young man, traveling across the country, taking on various jobs along the way. He eventually became a professional boxer, claiming to have gone the distance against the renowned Jack Dempsey.
In addition to his knowledge of boxing, Kennedy possessed a good singing voice, which led him to perform in musical shows in the Midwest, his first taste of the entertainment industry. During his travels, he found himself in Los Angeles, where he was hired as an actor by comedy producer Mack Sennett.
At Sennett Studios, Kennedy was allegedly one of the original Keystone Kops, but soon transitioned from minor roles to supporting parts in Keystone comedies, including the 1914 film "Tillie's Punctured Romance" alongside Charles Chaplin. Kennedy had notable roles in other Chaplin films, but when his contract expired in 1921, he went freelance, occasionally returning to Sennett.
After leaving Sennett, Kennedy established himself as a first-rate supporting comedian, specializing in playing harassed businessmen, next-door neighbors, and law enforcement officials. By the late 1920s, his craft was prominently featured in comedies for Hal Roach, Sennett's rival, where he thrived in support of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
It was with Roach that Kennedy developed his mastery of the "slow burn," a routine for which he became famous. He often played a none-too-bright policeman pushed to the boiling point by the absurdities of Laurel and Hardy. Kennedy also directed the duo in "From Soup to Nuts" (1928) and "You're Darn Tootin'" (1928).
RKO hired Kennedy to star in a series of comedy shorts called "The Average Man," in which he played the patriarch of a family. The shorts had extremely tight shooting schedules, often as few as three days, but Kennedy consistently delivered high-quality performances. He made over 200 short subjects and appeared in more than 100 feature films, remaining in demand until his death from cancer on November 9, 1948.
