Charles Durning, Prolific Character Actor, Dies at 89 Columbia Pictures, via Getty Images . A Tiger's Tale. (2000). He wasnt just a run of the mill World War II veteran. When a Stranger Calls. And then you'd do three to six plays every year down on Lafayette Street new plays by new writers: Sam Shepard, David Mamet, David Rabe, John Ford Noonan, Jason Miller.". The Malmady Massacre was a horrific event in which the Germans, after the Battle of the Bulge, rounded up and executed 80 American POWs. A veteran character actor who was a widely recognizable face in film and on television for over five decades, Charles Durning earned his place as a dependable presence often . Although he. The Cat!" 1923-02-28. In Tootsie, he played a suitor to Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing lead character. Wikipedia says no primary sources and the military record is a primary source. Does anyone think that we should request the page to be locked? 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. [AlanM1(talk)] 00:56, 29 July 2013 (UTC), More Durning documents have turned up. Shearonink (talk) 19:53, 9 June 2019 (UTC), Not so far as I can tell, information does not appear in cited souces. They are not survivors although they escaped the massacre. But he definitely does not claim to be a Malmedy survivor. I would however draw you attention to the fact that this sentence merely concerns the way the event has been related in many books, i.e. And he said, that's good. I am proposing the following as a new section on the Charles Durning page: "Controversy Surrounding Military Service - Durning was paid a special tribute at the May 26, 2013, National Memorial Day Concert when "Taps" was sounded in his honor. View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page. It also states that Durning was drafted in 1943 at the age of nineteens shortly before his twentieth birthday. The Malmedy Massacre was exhaustingly investigated by the First Army. I only know two things. I'm reluctant to cast any doubt on Mr. Durning's service, but the details are so vague and contradictory that they bear some examination. 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. 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. 1935). Durning stated he took part in the D-Day landings, and the article notes he was with 1st Infantry. It's good to be scared. Nightmares are indeed an indicator of PTSD, but not everyone who has experienced stress or has nightmares is suffering from a "disorder". This message was posted before February 2018. We would do three plays in Central Park for the summer. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. In March 1945, Durning was moving into Germany with the 398th Infantry Regiment when he took a bullet to the chest. Durning was present for the Battle of the Bulge, the German counter-offensive in December 1944. The French government apparently issued a statement mentioning Malmedy, but the closest I can come is this[1]. 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 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. Not even a Bronze Star, much less a Silver Star. And I said, yes, I am. [9], For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Durning appeared in more than 100 movies, in role For his valor he . 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). The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors.Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, to Louise Marie (Leonard), a laundress, and James Gerald Durning. I was watching Everwood this evening, and I saw Mr. Durning on it. France honors Charles Durning . 8. The ceremony took place in Los Angeles and the presenter was Philippe Larrieu, Consul General of France. 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. chris Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.179.70.124 (talk) 11:29, 25 December 2012 (UTC), Charles Durning was presented with the French Legion of Honor on April 22, 2008 (last week). Durning is the only survivor of a unit that landed on Omaha Beach that June 6 in 1944. He was one of the military masterminds of The Invasion of Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach. I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this. Languages Editions (L) December 26th, 2012 Tweet A few words of respect for Charles Durning who died on Monday at age 89. There is no reference to the Reynolds quote, so it is not really relevant to the article. Of all the thousands of units in the ETO? 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? In the past I've seen folks read an entry that said 'Bronze SS'and interpret it as the man earned both a Bronze Star Medal and a Silver Star Medal, when in fact it just denoted a single bronze Service Star for a campaign ribbon.98.255.89.22 (talk) 00:56, 12 July 2013 (UTC). Furthermore one should keep in mind that all survivors to the massacre, i.e. The New York Times, which commented on Durning's more than 200 credited roles, referred to him and actor Jack Klugman, who died the same day, as "extraordinary actors ennobling the ordinary". It's entirely possible that Durning (or someone on his behalf) asked for (and obtained) corrections to the original records in the time since his discharge, explaining the additional awards in the 2002 summary and the letter from 2008. Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to: Search the largest free Veteran Job board to find jobs with veteran-friendly companies. The Battle of the Bulge started on 16 Dec 44, and the Malmedy massacre happened on 17 Dec 44. Charles Durning Some television credits include The Connection; Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, the made-for-television musical in which he played the mailman who reaches out to Maureen Stapleton's lonely widow on the dance floor; Attica; PBS's Dancing Bear with Tyne Daly; the PBS production I Would Be Called John as Pope John XXIII; Hallmark Hall of Fame: Casey Stengel, in which Durning played the legendary baseball manager Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel; NBC's mini-series Studs Lonigan with Harry Hamlin and Colleen Dewhurst; The Best Little Girl in the World with Jennifer Jason Leigh. He does not appear in the list of survivors who were brought back to the massacre site. [5]. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:43, 22 February 2009 (UTC). During the German attack, Durning reported that a particularly young soldier charged him, but Durning couldnt bring himself to fire. But, he did NOT survive the Malmedy Massacre. [14], Durning died of natural causes at his home in Manhattan on Christmas Eve December 24, 2012, aged 89. What is the purpose of your discussion topic? Before the war was over, Durning received a third Purple Heart and the Silver and Bronze Stars for valor. William J. Stepp - 12/23/2009 . While working as an usher in a burlesque theatre, he was hired to replace a drunken actor on stage. According to his TV Guide biography, Durning left home at age 16 and later enlisted in the Army.. His family said he loved Christmas, and if he could have chosen a day as his last, this would be it. "I was the second man off my barge, and the first and third man got killed.". Sad news arrived on Christmas Day with word that longtime character actor Charles Durning . Charles Durning, Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. ( M. Showing Editorial results for charles durning. Durning's memorable roles included the Oscar-winning The Sting (1973) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975), along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be or Not to Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He was the son of Louise (ne Leonard; 18941982), a laundress at West Point, and James E. Durning (1883 c. "Concert on Memorial Day", Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor Television, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Durning&oldid=1134219393, Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners, United States Army personnel of World War II, Articles with dead external links from May 2020, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles needing additional references from December 2022, All articles needing additional references, Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata, Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata, Articles with dead external links from April 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, U.S. First Infantry Division, U.S. 100th Infantry Division, Old Dogsborough / Ted Ragg / Ignatius Dullfeet, Episode: "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories", WWII campaign , good conduct and service medals, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 15:50. He played the role of Jack Jameson in Wendy Wasserstein's final play, Third (2005), with Dianne Wiest at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre. Born in Highland Falls, NY, Durning was reared solely by his mother Louise after his father, John, died when he was very young, leaving Louise to support her and her son by working as a laundress at the nearby West Point military academy. (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. SAG Award nominations will be announced Dec. 20. But then I found a book in Google Books on actors serving in the military (Duty, Honor, Applause) that talks about Durning's service in the Rangers, says some of his fellow rangers were killed at Malmedy but says nothing about his escaping.[2]. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC), I think everybody's raised good points. They had three children together before divorcing in 1972. Copyright 2023 Military.com. A guy goes and risks his life for his country, performs incredibly heroic feats in war, and when he finally passes away, the main thing hes known for is play-acting movie characters ranging from a sketchy governor to a horny Nazi. Charles Durning, a two-time Oscar nominee known for a wide-range of character roles on film, television and stage, died of natural causes on Christmas Eve. There tends to be a correlation between the quality of character actors and how big of a character they are themselves. He also appeared in Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) with Barbara Hershey and John Lithgow. In 2005, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a Marine veteran in "Call of Silence," an episode in the television series NCIS, first broadcast November 23, 2004. http://nmisscommentor.com/random-firings/charles-durning-obit-in-the-new-york-times/comment-page-1/#comment-126171. He interviewed over 200 surviving P.O.W.s. 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. Kudos to Oldbubblehead for excellent original source efforts! 386th Anti Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (semi-mobile). He made his film debut in 1965, appearing in Harvey Middleman, Fireman. Being a fellow member of The Screen Actors Guild with Mr. Durning, I hope one day to meet with him again. Not because I wuld think that Mr. Durning did not do his duty during the war. at Frances (disambiguation). Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. Who played Les in Tootsie? First, no one doubts he was at D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, but he also told me he was there at Malmady. Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, he and the rest of his company were captured. Unless there is a source that indicates Mr. Durning has a disorder, suggesting he has one simply because he admits to nightmares is false and misleading. The book contains a bibliography but no footnotes or citations within the text to explain sources. And the 20-plus years you've spent in uniform mean you have a highly sought-after skill set in the civilian world. He also received Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982 and To Be or Not to Be in 1983. (2000). This seems even to have publicly said by the French consul in LA during an official ceremony that took place a few years ago. Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York. Please take a moment to review my edit. the relation of the facts, how things happened. But some quick Google searches, including this database of citations: http://www.homeofheroes.com/members/04_SS/2_WWII/indexes/army/Army-D.html does not contain the name Charles Durning. 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). --65.190.163.190 02:09, 23 May 2006 (UTC). May he Rest in Peace! In 2002, he performed in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Al Pacino, produced by Tony Randall. Although he survived the initial assault relatively unscathed, he was wounded by a German mine a few days later and earned a Purple Heart. The Cat! Although he gained traction in cinema, Durning still performed in plays including "Drat! But, there is no way Durning is the second most decorated hero of WWII, see Audie Murphy and Matt Urban. I really think that this aspect of the massacre is well documented and available to every historian. In 1979, he played Doc Hopper, a man who owns a frog leg restaurant and the main antagonist in The Muppet Movie. The piece on Durning does not refer to any military units, does not claim that he landed in Normandy on D-Day and credits him only with a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. Tootsie. 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. I have known of Charles Durning as an accomplished actor for many years. Prior to his acting career, Durning served in World War II and was decorated for valor in combat. I have put some editing only text above the section warning editors not to edit that area. 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. Kampfgruppe Peiper immediately began firing upon Battery B, sending the Americans into a panic. His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. And yes, some say that his career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16 before going into acting. before D-Day), it and the Third Army were still in England, not yet having been in combat. Division. 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. He appeared in John Frankenheimer's I Walk the Line (1970) starring Gregory Peck, and three Brian De Palma movies: Hi, Mom! It is possible that a riflemen might be reclassified as a driver due to the extent of his injuries and be given limited duties in a FAOB, so it is not inconceivable, but the point here is that there needs to be some reliable evidence. With regards to the re-assignment of soldiers - while it is common knowledge that the replacement system funneled troops from unit to unit after being wounded, they were still moved to units with respect to their training. Zodiac. #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Charles Durning - VA News Today's #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Charles Durning, who served as an infantryman during World War II and later became a prolific actor. That at least would acknowledge the elephant in the room. the Battle of the Bulge and was one of few survivors of the Malmedy massacre, Durning earned two Oscar and nine . Copy. Prior to appearing in the Burt Reynolds's TV series, Evening Shade, as the town doctor Harlan Eldridge (19901994), Durning appeared with Reynolds in five films, beginning with 1979's Starting Over, followed by 1981's Sharky's Machine, 1982's Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, 1985's Stick and 1999's Hostage Hotel. were returned to those kinds of units, infantrymen were returned to infantry units. But he leaves behind an interesting question: was he at the Malmedy Massacre? Subsequently, he performed in roughly 50 stock company productions and in various off-Broadway plays, eventually attracting the attention of Joseph Papp, founder of The Public Theater and the New York Shakespeare Festival. He is not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB. Below the table, you can find all the information about his birthday. 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. Charles is related to William Pershing Durning and Jeff M Durning as well as 1 additional person. Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor. Mr. Durning told me he was in that group, but he and six other guys hid behind trees then escaped. Born in Highland Falls, New York, on February 28, 1923, Durning became an actor relatively late. 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. Early life. [AlanM1(talk)] 23:36, 28 December 2012 (UTC) (Edited 23:39, 28 December 2012 (UTC)), Oldbubblehead (talk) 23:42, 16 April 2013 (UTC), I have received a copy of Durning's military records from the National Archives. 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Get some rock solid sources on this 's raised good points 2013 ( UTC ) was American. Counter-Offensive in December 1944 mind that all survivors to the article was drafted in 1943 the... Nineteens shortly before his twentieth birthday restaurant and the 20-plus years you 've in... Links modified '' talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot Philippe! A unit that landed on Omaha Beach that June 6 charles durning malmedy 1944 in Star Wars at IMDB it! Also appeared in Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues ( )... Actor for many years Infantry Regiment when he took part in the list of survivors who were brought to...
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