A Tiger's Tale. His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. Perhaps we can look forward one day to the family releasing some of his personal correspondence that may shed further light. When a Stranger Calls. - On the other hand, if he were assigned to the 398th Inf Regt upon discharge from the hospital - as most accounts reflect - that raises even more serious questions. The rest of the Wikipedia article on World War II service is, as others have noted here, quite inconsistent. He interviewed over 200 surviving P.O.W.s. Historical Popularity Index (HPI) 44. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC), I think everybody's raised good points. This may have been a mistake or perhaps not, but it would explain why an actor, in an age sensitive business, would not want to publicize a World War II war record. My father was a Malmedy survivor and I have done extensive research into the massacre and its aftermath. He worked with the Coen Brothers again playing "Pappy" O'Daniel, a cynical governor of Mississippi (a character loosely based on the Texas politician and showman W. Lee O'Daniel) in the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? infamous attack on American POWs at Malmedy, Belgium, and was the sole survivor of 40 men who took out a German machine gun nest. But second, last year I met with Gavan Daws who wrote the definitive book on Japanese Prisoners of War. In Belgium he was stabbed in hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier, whom he bludgeoned to death with a rock. What is the purpose of your discussion topic? Durning was simply not there. Military spouses are making a go of their dream jobs across a wide range of fields. Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, 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 . Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.18.160.21 (talk) 03:07, 7 July 2009 (UTC), Every time I watch Star Wars episode IV (1977), I am certain I see Charles Durning as a foot soldier, Trying to defend the ship as Princess Leia records her message to Obi Wan in R2D2. Like Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, Charles Durning was a highly-decorated soldier in World War II before he began an acting career. Go for it - its obviously a field of study that you enjoy and you have the chance to make your name. Zodiac. He also played the voice of recurring character Francis Griffin, the religious zealot father of Peter in the animated series Family Guy. In 1999, Durning was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame on Broadway. It had much to do with the nature of the wounds, and the length and location of hospitalization. But, there is no way Durning is the second most decorated hero of WWII, see Audie Murphy and Matt Urban. Copy. The Malmady Massacre was a horrific event in which the Germans, after the Battle of the Bulge, rounded up and executed 80 American POWs. 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. - According to another source, Durning and 12 others were levied out of C/386 AAA/AW on 23 May 44, just two weeks before D-Day and assigned to the 17th Replacement Depot; he arrived in Normandy still assigned to a detachment of that Depot (as Old bubblehead noted). Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York. They are not survivors although they escaped the massacre. He appeared in John Frankenheimer's I Walk the Line (1970) starring Gregory Peck, and three Brian De Palma movies: Hi, Mom! [15][16] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Co. X176ADec. 18, 1944 - Dec. 31, 1945. In some cases, you can go back and ask for a higher salary without jeopardizing your job, experts say. And even though the obituaries now are saying he didnt like to talk about his war experiences, he shared everything with me. 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. A lot of that is released through acting. He was one of the military masterminds of The Invasion of Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach. 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'm afraid that's where your argument runs out of steam. The two fought with their bayonets, and Durning suffered further injury during the fight. I have just modified one external link on Charles Durning. By June 17 he was back in England at the 217th General Hospital. Sadly, Durning made a number of statements during his lifetime and was present when statements were made about his military service which cannot be reconciled with the undisputed facts in his military records. According to his TV Guide biography, Durning left home at age 16 and later enlisted in the Army.. He also points out that During's records only mention Silver Star, not Silever Star Medal. The 85-year-old added to that resume Thursday with a star on the Hollywood Walk. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:43, 22 February 2009 (UTC). I made the following changes: When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs. His three brothers James (Roger) (1915-2000), Clifford (1916-1994),and Gerald Durning (born 1926), and his sister Frances (born 1919) survived to . 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. "I had no money at all, and he [Joseph Papp] didn't pay much. Stars in Khaki by Wise and Wilderson provides little information. And the 20-plus years you've spent in uniform mean you have a highly sought-after skill set in the civilian world. a book writen by an historian, for instance) is never goven by these websites. Whether you want to learn more about other famous veterans, polish up your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area, or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. "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 was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. 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. Charles Durning Born: 28-Feb - 1923 Birthplace: Highland Falls, NY Died: 24-Dec - 2012 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: unspecified Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor Nationality: United States Executive summary: The Muppet Movie Military service: US Army (Ranger, WWII) Actor. 6. WRT the EIB/CIB, block 31 says "M1 Rifle Ex 165 5 Mar 45". Also, we got Paul Newman to do the voiceover which was fun I directed him over the phone but he did his performance at the end of a recording session for the animated feature, Cars, and he was very old by then so most people didnt even recognize his voice (which was a lesson to me in voice talent). --Lebob-BE (talk) 20:11, 25 February 2009 (UTC), . The Battle of the Bulge started on 16 Dec 44, and the Malmedy massacre happened on 17 Dec 44. Born in Highland Falls, N.Y., adjacent to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where his mother was a laundress for the cadets and his father a Soldier, Durning was the fourth of 10 children.. He made his film debut in 1965, appearing in Harvey Middleman, Fireman. In conclusion I still have strong doubts about this story and I think that one should check for more reliable sources before writing that Mr. Durning is a Malmedy massacre survivor. 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. (1965), Pousse-Caf (1966), The Happy Time (1968), Indians (1969), That Championship Season (1972), In the Boom Boom Room (1973), The Au Pair Man (1973), Knock Knock (1976), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1990), Inherit the Wind (1996), The Gin Game (1997), and The Best Man (2000). It was an awesome day. As pointed out, there is no official record of Mr Durning listed on any roll of a Ranger unit and in my knowledge elements of the Provisional Ranger Force were landed besides the 29th Infantry Division rather than the First Infantry Division. But then again, Reynolds is hardly an authority on military history, so what he says about Charles Durning's war record is very trivial, even if the editor could find a reference. before D-Day), it and the Third Army were still in England, not yet having been in combat. The ceremony took place in Los Angeles and the presenter was Philippe Larrieu, Consul General of France. Not because I wuld think that Mr. Durning did not do his duty during the war. He agreed to give us a day, I pulled together an amazing crew of industry veterans (including the very best cameraman I ever got the joy of working with they were all Democrats willing to donate their time for the campaign), we found a location north of L.A., and within a couple days were out there filming. Since you've left the military, you have already had some civilian experience, but maybe it's time for a change in your education or career path. He was part of the landing forces at Normandy during the initial invasion of France by Allied forces. Charles Durning was a boxer, ice-cream seller and dance instructor before establishing himself as an actor. With the 398th Infantry Regiment he moved into Germany where he was again seriously wounded in March 1945 and evacuated to the United States. Durning was wounded by a German "S" Mine on June 15, 1944 at Les Mare des Mares, France. 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. Breakheart Pass. For example, tankers were returned to armored units, specialist troops (rangers, paratroops, etc.) 2. It took Durning 5 years after leaving the military to eventually make his way into acting. Zskok (1994) Smrt Waringa Hudsuckera ( Charles Durning) byla inspirovna skutenou udlost ze dne 3. nora 1975, kdy obchodnk Eli M. Black rozbil kufkem okno sv kancele ve 44. pate Newyorkskho mrakodrapu Pan Am Building (nyn MetLife Building) a skoil z nho. While pursuing an acting career, Durning, a professional ballroom dancer, taught at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New York City. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. [3], Durning served in the U.S. Army during World War II. 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