The Kennedys of Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
The Kennedys of Massachusetts is a 1990 TV miniseries
that aired on ABC
. Focusing mainly on the fifty-four year marriage of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
and Rose Kennedy. The events depicted in the series are based upon the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin
titled The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys : An American Saga. The series aired across three nights, an earned an Emmy and Golden Globe.
being sworn in as mayor. The Kennedys, as well as Fitzgerald's daughters, most notably Rose attend the swearing in ceremony.
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Focusing mainly on the fifty-four year marriage of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official....
and Rose Kennedy. The events depicted in the series are based upon the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S...
titled The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys : An American Saga. The series aired across three nights, an earned an Emmy and Golden Globe.
Synopsis
The series begins in Boston in 1906, prior to John F. FitzgeraldJohn F. Fitzgerald
John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was an Irish-American politician and the maternal grandfather of three prominent United States politicians—President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Senators Robert Francis Kennedy and Edward Moore Kennedy.-Early life and family:Fitzgerald was born in...
being sworn in as mayor. The Kennedys, as well as Fitzgerald's daughters, most notably Rose attend the swearing in ceremony.
Cast
- William PetersenWilliam PetersenWilliam Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
as Joseph P. "Joe" Kennedy, Sr.Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Sr. was a prominent American businessman, investor, and government official.... - Annette O'TooleAnnette O'TooleAnnette O'Toole is an American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is most recently known for portraying Martha Kent, the mother of Clark Kent on the television series Smallville.-Early life and career:...
as Rose Kennedy - Charles DurningCharles DurningCharles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
as John F. FitzgeraldJohn F. FitzgeraldJohn Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was an Irish-American politician and the maternal grandfather of three prominent United States politicians—President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Senators Robert Francis Kennedy and Edward Moore Kennedy.-Early life and family:Fitzgerald was born in... - Tracy PollanTracy PollanTracy Jo Pollan is an American actress. She is perhaps best-known for her recurring role as Ellen Reed on the sitcom Family Ties in the mid-1980s. It was on this show that she met future husband Michael J. Fox.-Personal life:...
as Kathleen "Kick" KennedyKathleen KennedyKathleen Kennedy may refer to:*Kathleen Kennedy *Kathleen Kennedy , American journalist, former news anchor for CNN Headline News*Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy...
- Kelsey Nichols: Ages 8-9
- Pat HinglePat HingleMartin Patterson "Pat" Hingle was an American actor.-Early life:Hingle was born Martin Patterson Hingle in Miami, Florida, the son of Marvin Louise , a schoolteacher and musician, and Clarence Martin Hingle, a building contractor. Hingle enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1941, dropping out of...
as P.J. Kennedy - Steven WeberSteven Weber (actor)Steven Robert Weber is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the television show Wings which aired throughout the 1990s on NBC.-Early life:...
as John F. "Jack" Kennedy- Christina Nikitas: Ages 2-3
- Thomas Krajewski: Ages 9-12
- Campbell ScottCampbell ScottCampbell Scott is an American actor, director, producer, and voice artist.-Life and career:Scott was born in New York City, the son of George C. Scott, an actor, director, and producer, and Colleen Dewhurst, a Canadian-born actress. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1983. His brother is...
as Joseph P. "Joe" Kennedy, Jr.Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Jr. was an American bomber pilot during World War II. He was the eldest of nine children born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Elizabeth Kennedy....
- Dante Magnani: Ages 2-4
- Michael Goodwin: Ages 11-12
- Madolyn Smith OsborneMadolyn Smith OsborneMadolyn Smith Osborne is an American actress.Madolyn Smith Osborne may be best-known for her roles in the TV miniseries If Tomorrow Comes and the feature film Funny Farm, which co-starred Chevy Chase. In 1984, she appeared in 2010, with Roy Scheider...
as Gloria SwansonGloria SwansonGloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the... - Josef SommerJosef SommerJosef Sommer is an American film actor.He was born Maximilian Josef Sommer in Greifswald, Germany and was raised in North Carolina, the son of Elisabeth and Clemons Sommer, a professor of art history at the University of North Carolina. He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology...
as Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... - Randle MellRandle MellRandle Mell , is a television and film actor. He is married to Battlestar Galactica star Mary McDonnell. The couple has two children.-External links:...
as Robert F. "Bobby" KennedyRobert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
- Will Gardner: Age 7
- Casey AffleckCasey AffleckCaleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt , better known as Casey Affleck, is an American actor and film director. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he played supporting roles in mainstream hits like Good Will Hunting and Ocean's Eleven as well as in critically acclaimed independent films such as...
: Ages 12-15
- Kristen Kelly as Patricia Kennedy
- Karen Chaffee: Ages 13-14
- Ryan Shaugnessy and Matthew Dundas as Edward Moore "Ted" KennedyTed KennedyEdward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
: Shaughnessy plays Ted ages 5-6, and Dundas plays him at ages 12-14. - Beth Herzig as Jean Kennedy
- Danielle Schonback: Ages 9-12
- Deirdre LovejoyDeirdre LovejoyDeirdre Lovejoy is an American actress. She is most notable for her role on the HBO television series The Wire as Rhonda Pearlman. She graduated from the University of Evansville with an undergraduate degree in theatre....
as Rosemary KennedyRosemary KennedyRose Marie "Rosemary" Kennedy was the third child and first daughter of Rose Elizabeth Kennedy née Fitzgerald and Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., born little more than a year after her brother, future U.S. President John F. Kennedy...
- Jennifer Walsh: Ages 1-4
- Remi Nichols: Ages 8-11
- Halina Radosz as Eunice Kennedy