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Joe Kirkwood, Jr.

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Actor

The Resume

    (May 30, 1920-September 7, 2006)
    Born in Melbourne, Australia
    Birth name was Reginald Thomas Kirkwood
    Golfer and actor
    Won three PGA tour events (1949-51)
    Portrayed comic strip boxer Joe Palooka in eleven films (1946-51) and a TV series (1954-55)

Why he might be annoying:

    He received a 60-day suspended sentence after failing to show up for his army physical.
    He received a medical discharge for asthma eight months after joining the US Army (1943).
    He had to pay $4,000 in child support after losing a paternity suit (1949).
    His first wife, Cathy Downs (who also portrayed Joe Palooka’s wife in the TV series), divorced him on the grounds of desertion, claiming that he preferred playing golf to spending time with her (1955); she added, ‘I tried golf for his sake, but he just made fun of me..’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He and Joe, Sr., were the first father and son duo to make the cut at the US Open (1949).
    He did his own boxing on film as Joe Palooka.
    He invested successfully in real estate.
    He operated a golf course and a bowling alley.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying