Joe Kirkwood Jr.
Joe Kirkwood Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Reginald Thomas Kirkwood 30 May 1920 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 7 September 2006 (aged 86) Hesperia, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional golfer, actor, reporter, television host |
| Years active | 1940–1961 |
| Spouses | |
| Parent |
|
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Reginald Thomas Kirkwood (30 May 1920 – 7 September 2006), better known as Joe Kirkwood Jr., was a professional golfer on the PGA Tour and a film actor.[1][2] He started going by the name Joe Jr. in the late 1930s.[1][3]
Biography
Kirkwood was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father, Joe Kirkwood Sr., was a golf pro acknowledged as having put Australian golf on the world map. In 1948, father and son both made the cut at the U.S. Open, the first father and son duo to do so (a record they held until 2004). When the younger Kirkwood won the 1949 Philadelphia Inquirer Open, they became the third father and son winners in the history of the PGA Tour.[4] Kirkwood Jr. also won the Ozark Open in 1950 and defeated Sam Snead to win the 1951 Blue Ribbon Open in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Kirkwood served in both the
In the late 1950s, Kirkwood, who has a star on the
Kirkwood and his wife, Joyce Woltz, owned bowling centers in Studio City, Los Angeles and Porterville, California, and owned property in Princeville, Hawaii.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Joe Palooka, Champ | Joe Palooka | |
| 1946 | Night and Day | Classmate | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Gentleman Joe Palooka | Joe Palooka | |
| 1947 | Joe Palooka in the Knockout | ||
| 1947 | Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad | ||
| 1948 | Joe Palooka in Winner Take All | ||
| 1948 | Joe Palooka in the Big Fight | ||
| 1949 | Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch | ||
| 1950 | Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey | ||
| 1950 | Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance | ||
| 1950 | Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle | ||
| 1951 | Joe Palooka in Triple Cross | ||
| 1961 | The Marriage-Go-Round | Henry 'Doc' Granger | (final film role) |
Personal life
Kirkwood married Joyce Woltz in 1962.[8] His first marriage, to Cathy Downs, lasted from 1949[9] until their divorce in 1955.[10] Downs and Kirkwood starred together in The Joe Palooka Story TV series from 1954 to 1955.
Kirkwood died 7 September 2006, in Hesperia, California.[11]
PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 May 1949 | Philadelphia Inquirer Open | −12 (68-66-68-74=276) | 4 strokes |  Johnny Palmer
|
[12] |
| 2 | 1 Oct 1950 | Ozark Open | −18 (69-66-66=201) | 4 strokes | Dave Douglas
|
[13] |
| 3 | 22 Jul 1951 | Blue Ribbon Open | −13 (72-66-69-64=271) | 2 strokes | Sam Snead
|
[14] |
References
- ^ ASIN B004ULMIR8.
- ^ "Golfer Inducted". Gazette and Bulletin. Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. 5 January 1944. p. 2.
- ^ "Young Kirkwood Joins Atlanta Club Staff". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. 10 March 1940. p. 16.
- ^ "Stats Report: Inside the Numbers". PGA Tour. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ Joe Kirkwood Jr., Biography IMDb. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/golfd/article/1957jul3.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Joyce Woltz Kirkwood". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joe Kirkwood Jr". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "Kirkwood Jr. Golf Winner". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 23 May 1949. p. 22.
- ^ "Kirkwood Wins in Ozarks". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. 3 October 1950. p. 15.
- ^ "Joe Kirkwood cards final round 64 to win Blue Ribbon golf tourney". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. 23 July 1951. p. 11.
External links
- Joe Kirkwood Jr. at IMDb