From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Burt Kennedy (September 3, 1922 - February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known for mainly directing film Westerns. After World War II service in the 1st Cavalry Division, Muskegon, Michigan-born Kennedy found work writing for radio, then used his training as a cavalry officer to secure a job as a fencing trainer and fencing stunt doubles in films. That led to Kennedy being hired to write for a television program with a fencing theme f ...