David Burns (June 22, 1902 – March 12, 1971) was an American Broadway theatre and motion picture actor and singer.[1][2] He appeared in many comedies and musicals over a career of almost 50 years.[3]
Life and career
Burns was born on Mott Street in Chinatown, Manhattan.[4] He made his Broadway debut in 1923 in Polly Preferred and went to London with the show in 1924.[5] His first Broadway musical was Face the Music (1932),[6] followed by Cole Porter's Nymph Errant (1933), staged in London.[7]
David Burns remained in London and was featured in many motion pictures there. His New York speech pattern was distinctive and exotic to British audiences, and he lent American color to a string of comedies, musicals, and mysteries. He came back to America in 1935 for two William Powell features at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but returned to England where there was far less competition for "New York" character roles. His most famous British screen credit is probably The Saint in London (1939), released as part of RKO's American Saint series of mysteries, with George Sanders as adventurer Simon Templar and David Burns as his New York sidekick. As World War II approached, making working conditions in England uncertain, Burns returned to New York in 1940. He made no further films until 1951, when he was hired for Fourteen Hours, produced on location in New York.
Stage honors
Burns won two Tony Awards for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical, for his performances as "Mayor Shinn" in The Music Man (1958) and as "Senex" in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963).[3][8]
Hello, Dolly! on Broadway (1964)
Burns introduced the hit song "It Takes a Woman" from Hello, Dolly (1964) as the original "Horace Vandergelder".[9][10]
Burns won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama for his role of Mr. Solomon in the 1971 TV special (Hallmark Hall of Fame) of The Price by Arthur Miller.[11]
Death
Burns died on stage on March 12, 1971, of a heart attack in Philadelphia during the out-of-town tryout of Kander and Ebb's musical 70, Girls, 70.[4]
Selected credits
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Polly Preferred | Mr. B | |
| 1931 | Wonder Boy | Harry Rich | |
| 1932 | Face the Music | Louis | Credited as "Dave Burns" |
| 1935 | Them's the Reporters | Cassady | Credited as "Dave Burns" |
| 1939–1941 | The Man Who Came to Dinner | Banjo | |
| 1940–1941 | Pal Joey | Ludlow Lowell | |
| 1943 | Oklahoma! | Ali Hakim | |
| 1943 | My Dear Public | Walters | |
| 1945-1946 | Billion Dollar Baby | Dapper Welch | |
| 1947 | I Gotta Get Out | Bernie | |
| 1948-1949 | Make Mine Manhattan | Nick/"The Good Old Days" Performer/Taxi Driver/ Mr. Rappaport/Customer | |
| 1948 | Heaven On Earth | H.H. Hutton | |
| 1950 | Alive and Kicking | Dr. Frisbee/Dr. Allen Drawbridge/Army | |
| 1950-1951 | Cole Porter's Out of This World | Niki Skolianos | |
| 1952-1953 | Two's Company | Stanley/Strombolini/Melvin/Dudley Dawson | |
| 1953 | Men of Distinction | Daniel Gaffney | |
| 1955 | Catch a Star! | Max Dillingbert | |
| 1957 | A Hole in the Head | Max | |
| 1957-1961 | The Music Man | Mayor George Shinn | |
| 1960–1962 | Do Re Mi | Brains Berman | |
| 1962-1964 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Senex | |
| 1964 | Hello, Dolly! | Horace Vandergelder | |
| 1968–1969 | The Price | Gregory Solomon | |
| 1970 | Art Buchwald's Sheep on the Runway | Ambassador Raymond Wilkins | [12] |
| 1970–1971 | Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen | Colonel Wainwright Purdy III |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes[13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | De Luxe Annie | Joe/Grocery Clerk | |
| 1934 | The Queen's Affair | Manager | |
| 1934 | The Path of Glory | Ginsberg | |
| 1934 | Romance in Rhythm | Mollari | |
| 1935 | Rendezvous | German-Speaking Bellhop | uncredited |
| 1936 | The Great Ziegfeld | Clarence | uncredited |
| 1936 | Crime Over London | Sniffy | |
| 1936 | Strangers on Honeymoon | Lennie | |
| 1937 | Spring Handicap | Amos | |
| 1937 | Smash and Grab | Bellini | |
| 1937 | The Live Wire | Snakey | |
| 1938 | Just like a Woman | Pedro | |
| 1938 | The Return of Carol Deane | Nick Wellington | |
| 1938 | Sidewalks of London | Hackett | |
| 1938 | Hey! Hey! USA | Tony Ricardo | |
| 1938 | The Sky's the Limit | 'Ballyhoo' Bangs | |
| 1939 | The Gang's All Here | Beretti | |
| 1939 | So This Is London | Drunk | uncredited |
| 1939 | A Girl Must Live | Joe Gold | |
| 1939 | I Killed the Count | Diamond | |
| 1939 | A Gentleman's Gentleman | Alfred | |
| 1939 | The Saint in London | Dugan | |
| 1939 | She Couldn't Say No | Chester | |
| 1951 | Fourteen Hours | Cab Driver | uncredited |
| 1954 | Deep in My Heart | Lazar Berrison, Sr. | |
| 1955 | It's Always Fair Weather | Tim | |
| 1957 | Four Boys and a Gun | Television man | |
| 1958 | Once Upon a Horse... | Bruno de Gruen | |
| 1960 | Let's Make Love | Oliver Burton | |
| 1967 | The Tiger Makes Out | Mr. Ratner | |
| 1969 | How to Commit Marriage | ||
| 1970 | Move | Doorman | |
| 1971 | Who Is Harry Kellerman | Leon Soloway |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | The Imogene Coca Show | Regular |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama | The Trials of O'Brien | Nominated | [11] |
| 1971 | Hallmark Hall of Fame (Episode: "The Price") | Won | |||
| 1958 | Tony Awards | Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical | The Music Man | Won | [14] |
| 1963 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Won | [15] | ||
| 1971 | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen | Nominated | [16] |
Further reading
- Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 1-59393-320-7.
References
- ^ Sandra Brennan. "David Burns – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "David Burns". BFI. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016.
- ^ a b "David Burns Broadway" Playbill. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
- ^ a b "David Burns, 69, Star In Musicals" The New York Times, March 13, 1971.
- ^ The Broadway League. "David Burns – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".
- ^ Face the Music ibdb.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017
- ^ Nymph Errant sondheimguide.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017
- ^ "Search Past Tony Award Winners and Nominees – TonyAwards.com – The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards – Official Website by IBM". TonyAwards.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ^ The Broadway League. "Hello, Dolly! – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".
- ^ Hello, Dolly! Playbill. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
- ^ a b "David Burns". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Clive. "Theater: Art Buchwald's 'Sheep on the Runway' " The New York Times, February 2, 1970
- ^ "David Burns Films" tcm.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017
- ^ "1958 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ "1963 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ "1971 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
External links
- David Burns at the Internet Broadway Database
- David Burns at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- David Burns at IMDb
- Who's Who in Musicals
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