Beginning in 1961, he appeared in 35 plays as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival. He attracted the attention of Joseph Papp. Subsequently, he performed in roughly 50 stock company productions and in various off-Broadway plays. While working as an usher in a burlesque joint, he was hired to replace a drunken actor onstage. Referred to as "the King of Character Actors", Durning began his career in 1951. While pursuing an acting career, Durning, a professional ballroom dancer, taught at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New York City. ĭurning received the French National Order of the Legion of Honor from the French consul in Los Angeles in April 2008. Additional awards included the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze service star, and the World War II Victory Medal His badges included the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge with Rifle Bar, and Honorable Service Lapel Pin. He was an honored guest speaker for over a decade at the National Memorial Day Concert televised by PBS every year on the Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend.ĭurning was paid a special tribute at the National Memorial Day Concert when Taps was sounded in his honor.įor his valor and for the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart Medals. National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans. ĭurning was known for participating in various functions to honor American veterans. Durning was discharged with the rank of Private First Class on January 30, 1946. He was wounded by a German “S” Mine on Jat La Mare des Mares, Normandy. He was drafted at age 20 and participated in the Normandy Invasion of France. He is survived by his three children from his first marriage.Ĭharles Durning served in the U.S. He was legally separated from his second wife, Mary Ann (Amelio) Durning, in 2010. In 1959, Durning married his first wife, Carole Doughty. His mother, Louise (née Leonard 1894–1982), was a laundress at West Point, and his father, James Durning (1883 – c. His three brothers James (Roger) (1915–2000), Clifford (1916–1994),and Gerald Durning (born 1926), and his sister Frances (born 1919) survived to adulthood, but five sisters lost their lives to scarlet fever and smallpox as children. Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, the ninth of ten children.
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