John F. Kennedy portrayed on screen
This eight-episode miniseries from creators Stephen Kronish and Joel Surnow about the Kennedy family’s rise to wealth and the White House was embroiled in controversy after it was dropped by the cable network History. Surnow, an outspoken conservative who was the creator of Fox’s “24,†blamed political cowardice on History’s part, but History said the show wasn’t up to snuff. “The Kennedys,†with a cast including Greg Kinnear (above, left) as John F. Kennedy, Katie Holmes (right) as Jacqueline Kennedy and Barry Pepper as Bobby Kennedy, eventually found a home on ReelzChannel and went on to win four Primetime Emmys and receive nominations for six more. Read the review here. (ReelzChannel / Associated Press)
“Parks and Recreation†actor Rob Lowe portrays the 35th U.S. president in National Geographic’s TV movie “Killing Kennedy,†based on the book by Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly. The movie, directed by Nelson McCormick (“Touchâ€), premieres in November, in time for the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination.
“A lot of people will play JFK in the future,†49-year-old Lowe said during the Television Critics Assn. press tour this summer. “He is one of the great American icons. You just try to figure what you can individually bring. For me, it was very much about capturing him as a man ... what he was like as a father, a brother, a son, as a husband.†(Kent Eanes / National Geographic)
