Benny Holiday
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Very sorry to hear about Mr Durning. Heartfelt condolences to Douglas and his family. What a warmly admired actor and wow, what a life!
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Condolences to Douglas
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I always enjoyed his movies. God Bless your family.
tridentine
Suspended
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Requiescat in pace.
Feraud
Bartender
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Heartfelt condolences to a great character actor and his family.
dhermann1
I'll Lock Up
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Douglas, so sorry to hear this. He must have been a great dad as well as a great actor.
TPD166
One Too Many
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Very sad to hear of Mr. Durning's passing - my thoughts and prayers are with his family and the many others saddened by this loss.
Rick Blaine
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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A sad, sad loss. I am so very sorry Douglas.
CPT/VSG
Familiar Face
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Being new here I didn't realize his son is on the forum. My sincere condolences. I read Mr. Durning's obituary in the N.Y. Times today and had no idea of the difficult circumstances he was born into or the horrific action he saw in WWII. He overcame it all.
Jedwbpm
One Too Many
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Douglas my prayers go out to you and your family your dad brought a lot of joy to the world and will be missed.
Jeff
Jeff
RBH
Bartender
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http://blog.aarp.org/2012/12/26/charles-durning-5-facts-about-the-consummate-character-actor/
This is from the AARP Blog, written by Patrick Kiger.
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. Or you might recall him as the U.S. President that a renegade Air Force General
(portrayed by Burt Lancaster) tries to force to release a scandalous secret document in the 1977 movie
thriller Twilight’s Last Gleaming. Or as Jack Amsterdam, the corrupt Catholic layman who becomes
entangled in the grisly murder of an actress/call girl in the 1981 detective film True Confessions. Or
as Doc Harper, the villain who kidnaps Miss Piggy in 1979′s The Muppet Movie. Or for his recurring roles in
the TV shows Everybody Loves Raymond and Rescue Me.
We could cite a lot more possibilities, but you get the idea. Charles Durning, who died on Dec. 24 at age 89 in
New York City, played a whole lot of roles in his half-century-long career — all told, 207 of them, according
the Internet Movie Database. While he was never a star, he was highly sought after by directors. USA Today
hailed him as nothing less than ”the king of character actors,” because of his skill in playing distinctive,
memorable roles that helped to make a drama or a comedy special.
Here are five intriguing facts about the gifted performer, whose own life was as interesting as the characters he portrayed.
1. He never won an Oscar, but he won three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star in World War II. Durning,
a U.S. Army Ranger who landed in the first wave of troops on Omaha Beach on D-Day, lived the sort of
harrowing adventure that most actors only played on sound stages. He was the lone survivor of a machine-gun
ambush that day, and later, in Belgium, was stabbed in the hand by a German soldier in close-quarters
combat before he bludgeoned his attacker to death with a rock. During the Battle of the Bulge, he was captured
by the Germans, who then tried to execute him and nearly 90 other POWs in the infamous Malmedy massacre.
Somehow, Durning was one of the few to escape, but he suffered serious injuries and psychological trauma that
took him nearly a decade to overcome. In 2008, France awarded him the National Order of the Legion of Honor
medal for his wartime heroism.
2. 2.He was a working-class hero, too. Before taking up acting in the late 1950s, Durning worked as a construction worker, boiler maker, elevator operator, waiter and dance instructor, according to a 1978 newspaper profile. “The only difference
between being an actor and a construction worker is that acting is more work,” he explained.
3. Despite his roly-poly build, he was surprisingly lithe and athletic. Durning’s physical interests included boxing, judo and skiing.
[T]Here’s a video clip from a late 1980s appearance by Durning on Dolly Parton’s variety show, in which he demonstrates his ability as a dancer.
4. 4.He was an unknown until he was almost 50. Durning got his first big role on Broadway in 1972 in the play
That Championship Season, about an aging group of former high school basketball teammates. New York Times
critic Clive Barnes lauded Durning, who played a former player who had become a paunchy small-town mayor, as
“absurd and yet both understandable and credible, a boy for all seasons.”
5. 5.He loved to work. As he told an interviewer in 1978, Durning hated to take vacations. “When I don’t have a part,
I’m terror-stricken,” he explained. He had few interests outside of acting, though he did enjoy watching silent
movies and for years played in a weekly low-stakes card game whose regulars included comedian Shecky Greene, according
to a 2003 Los Angeles Times profile.
This is from the AARP Blog, written by Patrick Kiger.
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. Or you might recall him as the U.S. President that a renegade Air Force General
(portrayed by Burt Lancaster) tries to force to release a scandalous secret document in the 1977 movie
thriller Twilight’s Last Gleaming. Or as Jack Amsterdam, the corrupt Catholic layman who becomes
entangled in the grisly murder of an actress/call girl in the 1981 detective film True Confessions. Or
as Doc Harper, the villain who kidnaps Miss Piggy in 1979′s The Muppet Movie. Or for his recurring roles in
the TV shows Everybody Loves Raymond and Rescue Me.
We could cite a lot more possibilities, but you get the idea. Charles Durning, who died on Dec. 24 at age 89 in
New York City, played a whole lot of roles in his half-century-long career — all told, 207 of them, according
the Internet Movie Database. While he was never a star, he was highly sought after by directors. USA Today
hailed him as nothing less than ”the king of character actors,” because of his skill in playing distinctive,
memorable roles that helped to make a drama or a comedy special.
Here are five intriguing facts about the gifted performer, whose own life was as interesting as the characters he portrayed.
1. He never won an Oscar, but he won three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star in World War II. Durning,
a U.S. Army Ranger who landed in the first wave of troops on Omaha Beach on D-Day, lived the sort of
harrowing adventure that most actors only played on sound stages. He was the lone survivor of a machine-gun
ambush that day, and later, in Belgium, was stabbed in the hand by a German soldier in close-quarters
combat before he bludgeoned his attacker to death with a rock. During the Battle of the Bulge, he was captured
by the Germans, who then tried to execute him and nearly 90 other POWs in the infamous Malmedy massacre.
Somehow, Durning was one of the few to escape, but he suffered serious injuries and psychological trauma that
took him nearly a decade to overcome. In 2008, France awarded him the National Order of the Legion of Honor
medal for his wartime heroism.
2. 2.He was a working-class hero, too. Before taking up acting in the late 1950s, Durning worked as a construction worker, boiler maker, elevator operator, waiter and dance instructor, according to a 1978 newspaper profile. “The only difference
between being an actor and a construction worker is that acting is more work,” he explained.
3. Despite his roly-poly build, he was surprisingly lithe and athletic. Durning’s physical interests included boxing, judo and skiing.
[T]Here’s a video clip from a late 1980s appearance by Durning on Dolly Parton’s variety show, in which he demonstrates his ability as a dancer.
4. 4.He was an unknown until he was almost 50. Durning got his first big role on Broadway in 1972 in the play
That Championship Season, about an aging group of former high school basketball teammates. New York Times
critic Clive Barnes lauded Durning, who played a former player who had become a paunchy small-town mayor, as
“absurd and yet both understandable and credible, a boy for all seasons.”
5. 5.He loved to work. As he told an interviewer in 1978, Durning hated to take vacations. “When I don’t have a part,
I’m terror-stricken,” he explained. He had few interests outside of acting, though he did enjoy watching silent
movies and for years played in a weekly low-stakes card game whose regulars included comedian Shecky Greene, according
to a 2003 Los Angeles Times profile.
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My condolences to your family, Douglas. He was a magnificent talent, which is all we knew of him. You have been blessed with so much more in memories and time. God bless you all in your loss.
danofarlington
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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I didn't know of the death until now, nor that Douglas was related to him. I'm very sorry to hear of it. The most vivid memory I have of Charles Durning is when he danced a jig in one of his movies, if I remember right at the top of the stairs of a civic building, which was very nimble and counterintuitive as to how a large man could move.
DeaconKC
One Too Many
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Prayers for your family from here.
DNO
One Too Many
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When I think of Charles Durning I immediately think of his performance as Pappy O'Daniel in Oh Brother Where Art Thou?. What a wonderful actor, and what a loss to us all. My condolences to Douglas and his family for their loss.
RBH
Bartender
- Messages
- 15,312
A cool animation of Douglas wearing a few of his hats.
For the newer members not familar with him.
From this thread.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?22106-The-man-with-100-hats...
For the newer members not familar with him.
From this thread.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?22106-The-man-with-100-hats...
Speedster
Practically Family
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My condolences.
DJH
I'll Lock Up
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Very cool animation. I probably have a couple of those hats myself now.
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Douglas!
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Douglas!
ideaguy
One Too Many
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- Western Massachusetts
Douglas: My condolences and best wishes.
Michael
Michael
Terry "The Hat"
Practically Family
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Douglas, your father was a great actor and a great hero (which I did not know until the news reports over the past couple of days). I truely enjoyed watching him.
