Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor, with appearances in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. Again, Charles Durning is nowhere to be found among these men. Durning's unit guarded German POW's in Krippe, Germany until after VE Day, June 23, 1945. (1965), Pousse-Caf (1966), The Happy Time (1968), Indians (1969), That Championship Season (1972), In the Boom Boom Room (1973), The Au Pair Man (1973), Knock Knock (1976), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1990), Inherit the Wind (1996), The Gin Game (1997), and The Best Man (2000). You can hear a story from one of the survivors, Ted Paluch, below. Durning began his career in 1951. He wasnt just a run of the mill World War II veteran. The net result was a commercial that was okay. Durning was drafted into the U.S. Army just in time to fight in World War II. Durning does not appear in either the muster reports or morning reports of any of the units involved. [18] The Huffington Post compared the two men, calling them "character actor titans".[19]. Again, kudos to Oldbubblehead. I now think that whoever said that was correct. Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in which the Germans . And yes, some say that his career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16 before going into acting. 7. Actor. Drafted at age 21, he was first assigned as a rifleman with the 398th Infantry Regiment, and later served overseas with the 3rd Army Support troops and the 386th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion. Although he displayed a passion for entertaining others, a high school teacher told him that he was talentless in art, language, and math and was better suited to working in an office. Where the River Runs Black. He talked about how cold it was that day in the snow as they were hiding behind the trees. It was an awesome day. The rest of the Wikipedia article on World War II service is, as others have noted here, quite inconsistent. "I was the second man off my barge, and the first and third man got killed.". the relation of the facts, how things happened. If such a trivial thing deserves mention (which IMO it doesn't), then you would need to provide a reference that someone else is the 2nd most decorated soldier of WWII. There are several paths to success if you're getting out or thinking about getting out of the military after just one tour. - According to another source, Durning and 12 others were levied out of C/386 AAA/AW on 23 May 44, just two weeks before D-Day and assigned to the 17th Replacement Depot; he arrived in Normandy still assigned to a detachment of that Depot (as Old bubblehead noted). LOS ANGELES - From World War II hero to dancer and award-winning actor, Charles Durning has lived a storied life. Over the course of his life, aside from the medals he earned as a soldier, Durning won numerous accolades as an actor including a Life Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 9 Emmy Award nominations, and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Has he really said this. In 1972, director George Roy Hill, impressed by Durning's performance in the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play That Championship Season, offered him a role in The Sting (1973). Mr. After recovering for six months, he was put back on the front lines to combat the German Ardennes offensive. a book writen by an historian, for instance) is never goven by these websites. I have known of Charles Durning as an accomplished actor for many years. Blacks later book, The Battalion: The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion goes into more detail about the 2nd Ranger Battalion. infamous attack on American POWs at Malmedy, Belgium, and was the sole survivor of 40 men who took out a German machine gun nest. I got to direct a TV commercial for the Kerry Campaign in 2004 starring the late Charles Durning. Also, we got Paul Newman to do the voiceover which was fun I directed him over the phone but he did his performance at the end of a recording session for the animated feature, Cars, and he was very old by then so most people didnt even recognize his voice (which was a lesson to me in voice talent). That same year, he won a Tony Award for his performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Charles Durning. . He also appeared in Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) with Barbara Hershey and John Lithgow. Charles Durning served his country with honor and with great personal sacrifice. Shearonink (talk) 18:54, 10 June 2019 (UTC), North American military history task force, United States military history task force, http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3030591.html, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, http://westlaonline.com/wcnp_article.php?articleid=5, http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-today/25135-they-also-served-celebrities-uniform-ww2.html, http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/04/france_honors_charles_dur.php, http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1401379.php/France_says_Viva_Charles_Durning_actor_and_war_hero, http://www.legiondhonneur.fr/shared/fr/ordresdecorations/fhist.html, http://stephane.delogu.free.fr/hs12-07.pdf, http://m.web2carz.com/article/article.php?articleId=2097, http://news.yahoo.com/durning-king-character-actors-dies-nyc-075353360.html, http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/04_SS/2_WWII/indexes/army/Army-D.html, http://www.arrse.co.uk/military-history-militaria/87046-actor-charles-durning-talks-about-d-day.html, http://nmisscommentor.com/random-firings/charles-durning-obit-in-the-new-york-times/comment-page-1/#comment-126171, http://www.web2carz.com/people/who-you-know/2097/charles-durnings-war-heroism-exaggeration-fabrication, https://web.archive.org/web/20071201183644/http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1%2C1002%2C271%7C91918%7C1%7C10%2C00.html, http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1%2C1002%2C271%7C91918%7C1%7C10%2C00.html, https://web.archive.org/web/20060625095909/http://www.army.mil/soldiers/apr1999/news/index.html, http://www.army.mil/Soldiers/apr1999/news/index.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Charles_Durning&oldid=1084065080, This article has not yet received a rating on the project's, This article has been checked against the following, A news item involving Charles Durning was featured on Wikipedia's, Reading the remarks by the French Consul General (no doubt prepared by a careless researcher using limited references to accomplish the job in a rapid period) only mentions. He was not a witness at the war crimes trial and he is not mentioned in any of the first person accounts of any of the survivors. 5. 398th Infantry Regiment; part of the 100th Infantry Division, 3. Division. Search instead in Creative? He appeared in John Frankenheimer's I Walk the Line (1970) starring Gregory Peck, and three Brian De Palma movies: Hi, Mom! Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Muppet Movie (1979), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Every service member leaves the military eventually. Also, the alleged false statement was the Durning was the 2nd most decorated soldier of WWII, which Monkeyzpop disputes. I only know two things. All rights reserved. There are links to articles on the medals with pictures of them there. Mr. Durning, my gratitude and utmost respect go out to you. Whether you want to learn more about other famous veterans, polish up your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area, or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. After the offensive, Durning received his second Purple Heart. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022). Of course all those who have writen on that massacre have emphasised one or other point of view according to their preference: som tried to whitewash the Germans others of course have pointed out how bestial they have been. In some cases, you can go back and ask for a higher salary without jeopardizing your job, experts say. (LOS ANGELES TIMES) Charles Durning, a Tony Award-winning actor whose prolific work in films and television included supporting roles in the classic comedy "Tootsie" and the TV sitcom. This message was posted before February 2018. Does anyone think that we should request the page to be locked? And he was one of the few survivors of the infamous Malmedy massacre of American POWs. The Malmady Massacre was a horrific event in which the Germans, after the Battle of the Bulge, rounded up and executed 80 American POWs. In addition to three Purple Heart medals for his wounds, Durning was presented the Silver Star for valor. It leaves you nervous about listening to the tales of war veterans. Charles Durning will be honored for lifetime achievement by the Screen Actors Guild. I've received the docs from Oldbubblehead (tnx!) I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this. Can we really exclude that the speach could have writen by a lazzy (or gullible) employee who could simply have made a copy/paste of what he had found on a website without making any check? He was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. Charles Durning, who overcame poverty, battlefield trauma and nagging self-doubt to become an acclaimed character actor, whether on stage as Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" or in film as. Durning participated in various functions to honor American veterans, including serving as Chairman of the U.S. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. 4. The best result we found for your search is Charles Albin Durning age 70s in Mendenhall, MS. While pursuing an acting career, Durning, a professional ballroom dancer, taught at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New York City. I'm afraid that's where your argument runs out of steam. Sign up for a free Military.com membershipto have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox. One possible explanation for his not being mentioned on this, or vocal generally on World War II, is that I found him listed in Halliwell's Filmgoers Companion as born in 1933. Zodiac. before D-Day), it and the Third Army were still in England, not yet having been in combat. Charles Durning's first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house. But while I don't know Durning and have only met him once, he is close with several close friends of mine, and I asked them to ask him about the Malmedy thing. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Charles Durning, a World War Two hero who became one of Hollywood's top character actors in films like "The Sting," "Tootsie" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," has. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. He was a great actor with a LOT of fascinating tales to tell. Nightmares are indeed an indicator of PTSD, but not everyone who has experienced stress or has nightmares is suffering from a "disorder". The Cat! He was a great character actor, a tremendous military hero, and a really good guy (plus a Democrat) whom I got to spend a day with in 2004. SAG Award nominations will be announced Dec. 20. One one side they are based on the testimonies made by the American survivors, which must been seen as relations made by guys who had escaped to an almost promissed death, who were under shock, often wounded and who had some difficulties to make a coherent relation of the facts. "Hollywood Stars at D-Day", Soldiers Online Army.mil. Unfortunatley, the secondary sources have most of his info wrong. Sad news arrived on Christmas Day with word that longtime character actor Charles Durning . Five of his siblings died due to scarlet fever and smallpox, and much of his early life was spent in hardship. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). He does not appear in the list of survivors. While Oldbubblehead's research apparently verifies the Silver Star, the issue will not be put to bed until the GO (with its citation extract) can be located. A report from the 12th Replacement Depot has him in England on December 20th, 1944. In conclusion I still have strong doubts about this story and I think that one should check for more reliable sources before writing that Mr. Durning is a Malmedy massacre survivor. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Charles Durning, a World War Two hero who became one of Hollywood's top character actors in films like "The Sting," "Tootsie" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," has. Please take a moment to review my edit. Durning's character turns himself in to authorities, insisting that he must be prosecuted for having murdered his buddy during ferocious combat on Iwo Jima six decades earlier. Charles Durning will be honored for lifetime achievement by the Screen Actors Guild. Durning received the French National Order of the Legion of Honor from the French Consul in Los Angeles in April 2008. December 26th, 2012 Tweet A few words of respect for Charles Durning who died on Monday at age 89. Charles Durning: 5 Facts About the Consummate Character Actor You might remember Charles Durning as the crooked Lt. Snyder in the classic 1973 film The Sting, or as the World War II Medal of Honor winner who confesses to killing his best friend in a 2004 episode of the hit TV series NCIS. For his valor he . Co. X176ADec. 18, 1944 - Dec. 31, 1945. ( M. He won a Golden Globe in 1990 for his supporting role in the television miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts, having had three previous nominations. But if you've been in for more than one tour, your life is about to change substantially. Wikipedia says no primary sources and the military record is a primary source. Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies. Durning served as a soldier in World War II, during which he was awarded a Silver Star, three Purple Heart medals, and a Good Conduct Medal. I have just modified one external link on Charles Durning. Mr. Steve Karras, among other researchers, has accessed primary sources such as Durnings discharge papers, his medical records, unit personnel rosters and morning reports, Army General Orders, and other records, as well as secondary sources such as unit official histories, to assemble an accurate record of Durnings military experiences. I have put some editing only text above the section warning editors not to edit that area. I realize that one will oppose the statement of the French consul. Let's discuss the editing here please. Durning was honored with three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. It is apparently based on a June 1993 interview the source of which is not listed. And then I flash back to Kathy Martin, the Kansas School Board Member in Flock of Dodos, who said shes comfortable believing Washington was our first President because people were there to see that, but not comfortable believing fossils could be millions of years old because nobody was actually alive that saw a lungfish crawl out of the water. As if eye witness accounts were more credible than science. Finally, this story about Durning present at the crossroad is running on several websites since many years. Durning, 84, will receive the award for fostering the "finest ideals . It isn't clear if he were a replacement en route to a line unit, or a member of the replacement detachment's cadre when he was wounded in Normandy on 15 Jun (the initial replacement detachments were displacing to operate from Normandy during this same week). Charles is related to William Pershing Durning and Jeff M Durning as well as 1 additional person. The Malmedy Massacre was exhaustingly investigated by the First Army. It's good to be scared. (1970, as Charles Durnham), Sisters (1973), and The Fury (1978). The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS on 17 December 1944 at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945). Durning was reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. [1](No mention made of service with an antiaircraft unit), In populating the Infobox, I made the assumption that Frances is Charles' sister because of the spelling of the name (instead of Francis), based on my experience (admittedly OR) and "Frances is a human name, the feminine version of Francis." He doggedly pursues the young grifter, Johnny Hooker (Redford), only to become the griftee in the end. Rlevse Talk 03:28, 9 November 2009 (UTC), i'm confused because it seems that three purple hearts are claimed, but only two instances of being wounded are cited. I don't see this as accurate or fair. That can cause a number of types of confusion. Bubblehead, do Mr. Durning's record throw any light on this point? You can too, by following these critical steps. This is four days after the start of the Battle of the Bulge and three days after the Malmedy Massacre.Oldbubblehead (talk) 06:39, 7 May 2014 (UTC). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Michael Dorosh 14:48, 21 August 2006 (UTC), An editor made this edit that accuses Durning of exaggerating his military record. According to his TV Guide biography, Durning left home at age 16 and later enlisted in the Army.. Like Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, Charles Durning was a highly-decorated soldier in World War II before he began an acting career. Born in Highland Falls, New York, Charles Durning was the ninth of ten children. He worked with the Coen Brothers again playing "Pappy" O'Daniel, a cynical governor of Mississippi (a character loosely based on the Texas politician and showman W. Lee O'Daniel) in the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Battle of the Bulge started on 16 Dec 44, and the Malmedy massacre happened on 17 Dec 44. Rlevse Talk 03:12, 9 November 2009 (UTC), I realize it's no shame to have post traumatic stress disorder, but I think that any such assertions in an article must be sourced, as per BLP. He was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. I'm beginning to wonder about the veracity of Mr Durning's World War II story. Further thoughts on this would be helpful. he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in which the Germans opened fire on almost 90 prisoners. WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor were 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. It also states that Durning was drafted in 1943 at the age of nineteens shortly before his twentieth birthday. On the other hand I am far from being convinced that the fact this would have been said by the French consul (if it was the case) make it the revealed truth. There tends to be a correlation between the quality of character actors and how big of a character they are themselves. By the time the 106th was ready to resume combat operations (25 April 45) the war was winding down (VE Day was just two weeks later) and the division was relegated to running POW camps rather than fighting as an infantry division. I really think that this aspect of the massacre is well documented and available to every historian. He interviewed over 200 surviving P.O.W.s. Historical Popularity Index (HPI) 44. Kaspazes talk 13:00, 29 December 2006 (UTC), User:Monkeyzpop has made an edit to this article about some statement that Burt Reynolds supposedly made on a TV show, that he is disputing. the men in the pasture, and the other men who escaped the massacre because for one or other reason they were not at the crossroads when and where they were supposed to be when the massacre occured (I think for instance to a man the artillery observer battalion who had been left in Malmedy because he suddenly fell ill: he escaped the massacre but is not a survivor). See: Now, the Early life section has been written in a way that claims Frances is a brother, though the cited source (IMDb) does not specify. 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 in Sharky's Machine (1981), and a light footed, dancing Governor (alongside Burt Reynolds once more) in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). Again, Durning is not listed. [AlanM1(talk)] 12:37, 17 July 2013 (UTC). 3 Ways to Recover from a Blown Salary Negotiation, 3 Ways to Gather Intel for Your New Civilian Job, 3 Tips that Can Increase Your Chances for Job Fair Success, WWII Vet and Actor Charles Durning Dies in NYC, Actor Charles Durning to be Interred at Arlington, Sign up for a free Military.com membership, 14 High-Paying Jobs for Low-Skill Communicators, 10 Things We Know for Sure About Modern Veterans, 7 Ways Your Dream Job Is Holding You Back. What I know now, was and is still a missed opportunity for us to discuss this event, because like Mr. Durning, my Grandfather, Brigadier General, Norman Cota was an assistant Commander of the 29th. The question of why a trained rifleman (if that is what he was on D-Day) would suddenly end up in a field artillery observation battalion (if that is what happened) on 17 December is still pertinent. . The chest wound which earned him the Purple Heart prompted his evacuation to the United States for recovery where he spent the remainder of his time with the Army. [9], For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Who Is Charles Durning's Wife? Following your training period in 1943, you were sent to England in February of the following year. Charles Durning was a boxer, ice-cream seller and dance instructor before establishing himself as an actor. In 2002, he performed in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Al Pacino, produced by Tony Randall. For example, tankers were returned to armored units, specialist troops (rangers, paratroops, etc.) Durning does not claim to have been a Malmedy survivor. Durning killed the German infantryman which became a particularly painful memory. Can anyone track what year was the first claim that Mr Durning claimed to be a Ranger? Durning's rugged early life provided ample material on which to base his later portrayals. [3][17], On December 27, 2012, Broadway theaters dimmed their lights to honor him. But I didn't know until last week that Durning was not only a veteran of World War II, but a genuine hero, awarded a Silver Star, three Purple Heart medals, and a Good Conduct Medal. The problem here is that this regiment arrived in the ETO very late (mid-March 45), and was plugged into the then-reconstituting 106th Infantry Division to replace one of the two regiments destroyed during the Bulge. Then came The Malmedy Massacre which took place on December 17, 1944 by a unit that was a part of the 1st SS Panzer Division . Chris Wiegand. He was the son of Louise (ne Leonard; 18941982), a laundress at West Point, and James E. Durning (1883 c. Who played Les in Tootsie? Before jumping into your new job all gung-ho, you would do yourself a great disservice if you didn't do your research. They were fighting at Bitche, France, 200+ kilometers from Malmedy at the time of the Massacre. He was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge, and was one of the few survivors of the infamous Malmedy massacre of American POWs, perpetrated by a battlegroup under Joachim Peiper of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Although he gained traction in cinema, Durning still performed in plays including "Drat! Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. The two forces converged just before noon at the crossroads hamlet of Baugnez, two and a half miles south of Malmedy. (2000). [2] Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Muppet Movie (1979), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Wedinm (talk) 21:22, 29 March 2011 (UTC), Regarding the lengthy Malmedy survivor? He holds the Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts for wounds he suffered. Charles Durning, a Tony Award-winning actor whose prolific work in films and television included supporting roles in the classic comedy "Tootsie" and the TV sitcom "Evening Shade," died Monday.. The French government apparently issued a statement mentioning Malmedy, but the closest I can come is this[1]. But, there is no way Durning is the second most decorated hero of WWII, see Audie Murphy and Matt Urban. Breakheart Pass. Although he survived the initial assault relatively unscathed, he was wounded by a German mine a few days later and earned a Purple Heart. But, he did NOT survive the Malmedy Massacre. I've uploaded the following scans of relevant docs: (still researching correct license and category tagging). I'd be interested to learn how he came into show business - his turn in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" shows him to be a gifted dancer. See more ideas about charles durning, charles, movie stars. However, I just recently found out about his heroism during WWII which included being in the first wave on Omaha Beach at Normandy, being one of the few survivors of the Malmedy Massacre and being awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. The worksheet shows (additionally) Foreign Service Pay of $128.43 for the period 1 Dec 45 to 24 or 26 Jan 46 $7072/month depending on how it was pro-rated. Not even a Bronze Star, much less a Silver Star. Snyder, who polices and hustles professional con artists. --Lebob-BE (talk) 20:11, 25 February 2009 (UTC),
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