Division, and a former Chief of Staff for the 1st. We would do three plays in Central Park for the summer. In 1993, he guest-starred in the Sean Penn-directed music video "Dance with the One That Brought You" by Shania Twain. Other film credits include Dog Day Afternoon with Al Pacino; When A Stranger Calls; The Final Countdown; The Hindenburg; Twilight's Last Gleaming with Burt Lancaster; True Confessions with Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall. Charles Durning (AP)Charles Durning, a World War II hero who became the king of the character actors, died Monday at his Manhattan home. - Are we supposed to believe - as some accounts hold - that after being levied out of the 386th AAA (AW) Bn, after being sent to Normandy as a replacement, after being wounded and after spending five months in a hospital recovering, that Mr. Durning returned back to the very same 386th AAA (AW) Bn he joined in '43? He was 89. But simply because I am interested in the Malmedy massacre for several years, which means I have spend much time on the question and read a lot of books. Born in Highland Falls, New York, Charles Durning was the ninth of ten children. He was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. He was taken prisoner during the . Michael Dorosh 14:48, 21 August 2006 (UTC), An editor made this edit that accuses Durning of exaggerating his military record. See: His is a remarkable story of survival. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:43, 22 February 2009 (UTC). 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 . In Tootsie, he played a suitor to Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing lead character. The Battle of the Bulge started on 16 Dec 44, and the Malmedy massacre happened on 17 Dec 44. The Pursuit of Happiness. He made his film debut in 1965, appearing in Harvey Middleman, Fireman. Who Is Charles Durning's Wife? Charles Durning, Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. As a teen, Durning displayed the tenacious nature that would later earmark many of his . And even though the obituaries now are saying he didnt like to talk about his war experiences, he shared everything with me. [18] The Huffington Post compared the two men, calling them "character actor titans".[19]. [3][4] His parents were of German, Irish and English descent[5] Durning was raised Catholic. He was honored with the Life Achievement Award at the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Ceremony on January 27, 2008. Select this result to view Charles Albin Durning's phone number, address, and more. Durning participated in various functions to honor American veterans, including serving as Chairman of the U.S. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. He is dead but his legacy lives on. He was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge and was one of a few survivors of the attack on American POWs at Malmedy, Belgium. 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]. After recovering for six months, he was put back on the front lines to combat the German Ardennes offensive. In 2004 I was lucky enough to spend a day directing him in a television commercial for the Kerry campaign. Again, Charles Durning is nowhere to be found among these men. He is not credited for being in Star Wars at IMDB. It's hard to say for certain, but as many as 50 Americans were able to escape, including Charles Durning, Malmedy-Massacre-survivor-turned-character-actor after World War II. Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor, with appearances in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. 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. Early life. I don't seem to recall it being used when he first came to prominance. It's a shame he is not more forthcoming; such vagueness merely arouses suspicion. Soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper summarily killed eighty-four U.S. Army prisoners of war (POWs) who had surrendered after a brief battle. I really found that shocking to hear. In the Best Picture-winner, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, Durning won distinction as a crooked cop, Lt. Wm. Sep 25, 2021 - Explore Dick Clark's board "Charles Durning", followed by 266 people on Pinterest. On TV, Durning had a recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as the Barone family's long-suffering parish priest, Father Hubley. He does not appear in the list of survivors who were brought back to the massacre site. Sign up for a free Military.com membershipto have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox. He interviewed over 200 surviving P.O.W.s. His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. Also, in block 55, "ASR Score (2 Sep 45) 61"? My father was a Malmedy survivor and I have done extensive research into the massacre and its aftermath. 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. [14], Durning died of natural causes at his home in Manhattan on Christmas Eve December 24, 2012, aged 89. In 1980, he won critical acclaim for his performance as Norman Thayer, Jr. in Los Angeles's Ahmanson Theater's production of On Golden Pond opposite Julie Harris. If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with, If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with, This page was last edited on 22 April 2022, at 10:34. He describes in detail being captured by Germans and escaping, but NOT as part of the Malmedy events--not even at the same period of time. Durning, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts, began his acting career in his late forties when he was cast in guest appearances in early 1960's television shows where he played minor roles over the next decade until he gained notice on film as a sneering, corrupt cop in the multi award winning mega-hit 'The Sting' (1973). This seems even to have publicly said by the French consul in LA during an official ceremony that took place a few years ago. Unless someone has a contradictory source, or different experience with the Frances/Francis spelling/gender distinction, I believe the section should assume she is a sister. "I had no money at all, and he [Joseph Papp] didn't pay much. That same year, he won a Tony Award for his performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Then when you read about the increased skepticism these days in the legal system of the value of eye witness accounts of crimes, you do kinda wonder. --rogerd 12:35, 27 December 2006 (UTC), I will put an {{NPOV}} template at the top of the page. 6. http://nmisscommentor.com/random-firings/charles-durning-obit-in-the-new-york-times/comment-page-1/#comment-126171. 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. Charles Durning. He does not appear in the list of survivors. Charles Durnings significant decorations include the . Mr. Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies. Same for passage saying he was hospitalized for physical and "mental" wounds. I got to direct a TV commercial for the Kerry Campaign in 2004 starring the late Charles Durning. Being a fellow member of The Screen Actors Guild with Mr. Durning, I hope one day to meet with him again. 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. Durning married his second wife, Mary Ann Amelio, in 1974. (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. "Hollywood Stars at D-Day", Soldiers Online Army.mil. 67.181.14.236 (talk) 09:39, 9 May 2009 (UTC), I've removed this from the article after his admission of nightmares: "which is common among veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress", Unless the person that added this is a medical doctor with Mr. Durning under his care (and has consent to post it to the internet!) Never has Mr. Durning's name been quoted in any single book I have read. Those who did not escape, including medical personnel, quickly surrendered to the SS troopers and after being searched and relieved . Shearonink (talk) 19:53, 9 June 2019 (UTC), Not so far as I can tell, information does not appear in cited souces. Here's a key tactic that most job seekers overlook when attending a job or career fair: Stop at every table. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. He doggedly pursues the young grifter, Johnny Hooker (Redford), only to become the griftee in the end. More memorably, I had a great day hanging out talking World War II with him. 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". [13] The real truth of the incident only becomes known for certain when the guilt-stricken veteran goes through a cathartic reliving of the battlefield events. He cut his teeth in Shakespearean productions staged by Joe Papp and, in 1972, won a Drama Desk award for his performance in That Championship Season on Broadway. Unfortunately, Durning is very frail and his conversation is a bit wandering and imprecise. At that time,in my pre-understanding of conversations I had with his spouse, Mr. Durning did not like to discuss his involvement in the landing at Omaha Beach that fateful day with The 1st. Also, the alleged false statement was the Durning was the 2nd most decorated soldier of WWII, which Monkeyzpop disputes. "There's terror and repulsion in us, the terrible spot that we don't talk about. He holds the Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts for wounds he suffered. The biggest joy of the experience was getting to spend the day chatting with Mr. Durning. [Ref: http://www.web2carz.com/people/who-you-know/2097/charles-durnings-war-heroism-exaggeration-fabrication]. Beginning in 1961, he appeared in 35 plays as part of the Shakespeare Festival. Charles Durning was born on 1923-02-28. 1935). I've received the docs from Oldbubblehead (tnx!) The two actors worked together again in a 1985 TV production of Death of a Salesman. Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor, with appearances in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors. ( M. 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. Such is the life of Charles Durning. It is hard to see where Mr. Durning would have earned a Silver Star with this unit. 5. Discuss here please. I now think that whoever said that was correct. But second, last year I met with Gavan Daws who wrote the definitive book on Japanese Prisoners of War. - While many individual service records were indeed destroyed by fire, the General Orders which issued Silver Stars were stored at other locations - such as in the unit files - that have been archived at other facilities. 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. Durning was reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. David T Tokyo (talk) 05:40, 15 October 2008 (UTC), This is a major hole in the article. 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 Durning's first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house. Soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper summarily killed eighty Durning was drafted into the U.S. Army just in time to fight in World War II. the relation of the facts, how things happened. #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. 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. That can cause a number of types of confusion. Aedwardmoch (talk) 05:35, 8 November 2008 (UTC)AedwardmochAedwardmoch (talk) 05:35, 8 November 2008 (UTC), There are different ways to calculate "most decorated" and it's exacerbated by the fact that some awards are delayed by decades. There is a significant question as to who he served with upon returning to the Continent. Durning was paid a special tribute at the May 26, 2013, National Memorial Day Concert when "Taps" was sounded in his honor. He appeared on the FX television series Rescue Me, playing Mike Gavin, the retired firefighter father of Denis Leary's character. 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. 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. The policy of not returning recovered from wounds soldiers to their original units was not a hard fast rule. But if you've been in for more than one tour, your life is about to change substantially. He won a Golden Globe in 1990 for his supporting role in the television miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts, having had three previous nominations. Veteran character actor Charles Durning died yesterday in his Manhattan home. I do belive that the edit should stand, however. Charles Durning. Furthermore one should keep in mind that all survivors to the massacre, i.e. Just because someone else makes a statement about the subject of this article, doesn't mean that it deserves mention here. Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. 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. 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