Biography
Edgar Livingston Kennedy (1890–1948) was an American comedic character actor who appeared in hundreds of films across the silent and sound eras. He began his screen career in 1911 and worked with comedians including Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers. Kennedy was known for his 'slow burn' routine, in which his characters' exasperation built gradually, often accompanied by rubbing his hand over his bald head.
He is credited as the Street Vendor in the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup (1933). Kennedy appeared in numerous Hal Roach productions and other studio comedies, frequently playing hot-tempered policemen, businessmen or blue-collar workers. He also directed two Laurel and Hardy shorts and starred in his own series of domestic comedy shorts for RKO.
