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Charles Durning
Age: 86
Height: 5' 8"
Birth Place: Highland Falls, New York, USA
Born: Feb. 28th, 1923
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Charles Durning's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: Ex-pro boxer, WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor are all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of his fortieth birthday ! The stockily built Charles Durning is one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors who first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. He scored minor roles over the next decade until he really got noticed by film fans as the sneering, corrupt cop "Lt. Snyder" hassling street grifter 'Robert Redford' in the multi award winning mega-hit The Sting (1973). Durning was equally entertaining in the Billy Wilder production of The Front Page (1974), he supported screen tough guy Charles Bronson in the suspenseful western Breakheart Pass (1975) and featured as "Spermwhale Whalen" in the story of unorthodox police behavior in The Choirboys (1977).
The versatile Durning is equally adept at comedic roles and demonstrated his skills as "Doc Hopper" in The Muppet Movie (1979), a feisty football coach in North Dallas Forty (1979), a highly strung police officer berating maverick cop Burt Reynolds (I) in Sharky's Machine (1981), and a light footed, dancing Governor (alongside Burt Reynolds once more) in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). Durning continued a regular on screen association with Burt Reynolds (I) appearing in several more feature films together and as "Dr. Harlan Elldridge" in the highly popular TV series "Evening Shade" (1990). On par with his multitude of feature film roles, Durning has always been in high demand on television and has guest starred in "Everybody Loves Raymond" (1996), "Monk" (2002) and "Rescue Me" (2004). Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different telemovies!
TRIVIA:
- At age 21, he was the only member of his unit to survive the Omaha Beach "D-Day" invasion on June 6, 1944. He was wounded in the hip and legs three days after he got off the boat. He still carries the bullet in his hip.
- Despite the wounds he received in WWII (he was shot in the legs and hip by machine-gun fire), he went on to become a professional dancer and dance teacher. He taught at the 'Fred Astaire' (qv) studios and relied upon it when he couldn't find acting work.
- Was trained in classical dance and was for a time in his early career, a dance instructor.
- During his days as a professional boxer he once fought on the same card as 'Jack Warden' (qv) in Madison Square Garden.
- Has played Santa Claus five times to date, in _It Nearly Wasn't Christmas (1989) (TV)_ (qv), _Mrs. Santa Claus (1996) (TV)_ (qv), _Elmo Saves Christmas (1996) (V)_ (qv), _Mr. St. Nick (2002) (TV)_ (qv), and _A Boyfriend for Christmas (2004) (TV)_ (qv).
- Survived the bloody D-Day assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Took him 50 years to talk about his experiences of that day.
- Former professional boxer.
- Was one of a few survivors to the infamous massacre of American POWs by German SS troops at Malmedy, Belgium, during World War II. The surrendering engineering battalion, captured behind enemy lines when the main American forces retreated, were gathered together and brought to a large field. As the German guards backed away from the prisoners, machine guns that were hidden in trucks opened fire on them. Approximately 88 US soldiers died, a good number of them by a single shot at close range through the head, indicating that those who survived the initial volley were subsequently executed. Only about 20 of the group of approximately 100 managed to escape the massacre and make their way to American lines. The incident was re-created in _Battle of the Bulge (1965)_ (qv) starring 'Henry Fonda' (qv).
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