Kenneth Hawks, a younger sibling of the illustrious filmmaker Howard Hawks and producer William Hawks, came into the world in Goshen, Indiana, in the year 1898. Two years his senior, Howard Hawks would eventually make a name for himself as a leading figure in the film industry, whereas Kenneth would forge his own unique path as a director, distinguishing himself from his siblings in his own right.
Kenneth Hawks, a seasoned warrior who had fought bravely in the trenches of World War I, went on to serve his country with distinction in the United States Army Air Service.
Following his military service, Hawks pursued higher education at Yale University, where he diligently worked towards earning his degree.
As fate would have it, Hawks' entry into the film industry commenced in 1929, when he began directing movies for the esteemed Fox Film Corporation, a mere three years after his older brother Howard had started his own directorial career, thus marking the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
Kenneth Hawks, a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, tied the knot with the exceptionally gifted actress Mary Astor in the year 1928. Notably, Astor would later go on to receive the esteemed Academy Award for her outstanding performance. Unfortunately, Astor was left to cope with the devastating loss of her husband, Kenneth Hawks, who met an untimely demise, leaving her a widow.
Kenneth Hawks, a renowned film director, embarked on a fateful journey on January 2, 1930, as he helmed the production of Such Men are Dangerous, a cinematic endeavor that would ultimately be marked by tragedy. Tragically, Hawks' life was cut short when, in a catastrophic incident, two camera planes, carrying a total of ten crew members, including Hawks himself, collided in mid-air over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, mere miles off the coast of Southern California, in a heart-wrenching turn of events that would leave an indelible mark on the world of cinema and the lives of those who knew him.
