Arthur Kennedy ( actor ) Arthur Kennedy ( February 17 , 1914January 5 , 1990 ) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create " an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage " , especially in the original casts of Arthur Miller plays on Broadway . Early life and education . Kennedy was born John Arthur Kennedy on 17 February 1914 in Worcester , Massachusetts , the son of Helen ( née Thompson ) and J . T . Kennedy , a dentist . He attended South High School , Worcester and Worcester Academy . At Carnegie Institute of Technology , Pittsburgh he studied drama being graduated B . A . in 1934 . Career . Kennedy moved to New York and , billed as John Kennedy , joined the Group Theatre . He then toured with a classical repertory company . In September 1937 , he made his Broadway debut as Bushy in Maurice Evans ' " Richard II " at the St . James Theatre . In 1939 he played Sir Richard Vernon in Evans ' " Henry IV , Part 1 " . Kennedy got his break when he was discovered by James Cagney . His first film role was of Cagney ' s younger brother in " City for Conquest " in 1940 . He was equally adept as hero or villain , and was noted for his mastery of complex , multi - faceted roles . He appeared in many Western film s and police dramas . From 1943 to 1945 , Kennedy served in the military making aviation training films , both as a narrator and an actor . Many of those films today serve as an historical record of not only how aviators were trained but also how the equipment was operated . He appeared in many notable films from the early 1940s through to the mid - 1960s , including " High Sierra " , " Champion " , " They Died with Their Boots On " , " The Glass Menagerie " , " Lawrence of Arabia " , " Peyton Place " , " Some Came Running " , " Elmer Gantry " and " Fantastic Voyage " . Of Kennedy ' s film work , he is perhaps best - remembered for his collaborations with director Anthony Mann and co - star James Stewart on " Bend of the River " ( 1952 ) and " The Man from Laramie " ( 1955 ) . In both films he played sympathetic villains . He also enjoyed a distinguished stage career over the same period , receiving a Tony Award for the role of Biff Loman in Arthur Miller ' s " Death of a Salesman " ( 1949 ) . Kennedy also inaugurated three other major characters in Miller plays : Chris Keller in " All My Sons " ( 1947 ) , John Proctor in " The Crucible " ( 1953 ) , and Walter Franz in " The Price " ( 1968 ) . In 1961 he played the title role in " Becket " , opposite Laurence Olivier as Henry II . On February 5 , 1959 , Kennedy appeared on the episode " Make It Look Good " of CBS ' s " Dick Powell ' s Zane Grey Theater " . Kennedy plays Sam Carter , a former Confederate hired as a bank teller in an otherwise all - Union community by the banker Clem Doud , portrayed by Parley Baer . It is revealed that Carter , widely disliked in the town , had for a time been a prisoner of war at Elmira , New York . Carter becomes the inside partner to two brothers , played by Ed Nelson and Richard Rust , who rob the bank , but he changes his mind and does not take part in the splitting of the $ 30 , 000 loot . Carter must confront Russ Bowen , one of the brothers who had vowed to harm Carter ' s wife , Jenny , portrayed by Jacqueline Scott . Robert F . Simon plays Sheriff John Hanley . Waning interest , ill - health then comeback . With the death of his wife in 1975 , failing eyesight , alcoholism , and thyroid cancer , Kennedy was reported as having lost interest in film - making . After " Covert Action " ( 1978 ) , his next film was " Signs of Life " ( 1989 ) . Awards and honors . In 1949 , Kennedy won an Tony Award for best supporting actor as Biff in Arthur Miller ' s " Death of a Salesman " at the Morosco Theatre . The New York Film Critics named him best actor for " Bright Victory " ( 1951 ) . His performance in " Trial " won him a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actor . His portrayal of the newspaper reporter in " Elmer Gantry " ( 1960 ) gained him a Film Daily Award and a Limelight Award . Oscar nominations . Kennedy and Claude Rains share the record of four losing nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . He also received a nomination for $ 3 , in " Bright Victory " ( 1951 ) . Personal life . Kennedy married Mary Cheffey ( 1915 – 1975 ) in March 1938 . They had two children : Laurie and Terence . Death . The last years of his life Kennedy suffered with thyroid cancer and eye disease . He died in 1990 at Branford , Connecticut of a brain tumor . He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery , near his home at Lequille , Nova Scotia , Canada ; his wife Mary is also buried there .