Memorability Metrics. Depot/ Repl. 3 Ways to Recover from a Blown Salary Negotiation, 3 Ways to Gather Intel for Your New Civilian Job, 3 Tips that Can Increase Your Chances for Job Fair Success, WWII Vet and Actor Charles Durning Dies in NYC, Actor Charles Durning to be Interred at Arlington, Sign up for a free Military.com membership, 14 High-Paying Jobs for Low-Skill Communicators, 10 Things We Know for Sure About Modern Veterans, 7 Ways Your Dream Job Is Holding You Back. It's a shame he is not more forthcoming; such vagueness merely arouses suspicion. Earlier in the discussion somebody (rightfully) pointed out General Reynold's sentence "Few of these accounts are based on fact, and most are embellished and inaccurate". I'm afraid that's where your argument runs out of steam. --Lebob-BE (talk) 20:11, 25 February 2009 (UTC), . 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.. Born: 28-Feb-1923 Birthplace: Highland Falls, NY Died: 24-Dec-2012 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: unspecified. He was drafted at age 20. Durning was reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. That same year, he won a Tony Award for his performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He was undeterred, however, and would become one of the greatest character actors in living memory. But interestingly, in the detailed Wikipedia discussion of Malmady, they conclude that Durning was not a part of the event. [Ref: http://www.web2carz.com/people/who-you-know/2097/charles-durnings-war-heroism-exaggeration-fabrication]. Durning killed the German infantryman which became a particularly painful memory. 2. Five of his siblings died due to scarlet fever and smallpox, and much of his early life was spent in hardship. Photograph: NBC via Getty Images. Stetsonharry (talk) 21:09, 2 February 2009 (UTC), I think everybody's raised good points. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Mr. Durning's 'war record' merely consists of his own assertions (which varied greatly over the years) or retellings of his assertions, as understood or embellished by others. --Chuck Baggett (talk) 02:48, 29 November 2017 (UTC), Cheers.InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 12:27, 14 December 2017 (UTC), Recent edits have removed a reference while asserting a claim "from IMDb" about Mr Durning's ancestry. My father was a Malmedy survivor and I have done extensive research into the massacre and its aftermath. In 2002, he performed in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Al Pacino, produced by Tony Randall. 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. Durning was paid a special tribute at the May 26, 2013, National Memorial Day Concert when "Taps" was sounded in his honor. Charles Durning was a boxer, ice-cream seller and dance instructor before establishing himself as an actor. discussion above, today's AP story on Mr. Durning's death says he was "captured in the Battle of the Bulge and survived a massacre of prisoners." He was one of only a few soldiers to survive the Malmedy massacre when German soldiers opened fire on nearly 90 prisoners of war. Sep 25, 2021 - Explore Dick Clark's board "Charles Durning", followed by 266 people on Pinterest. Arlington National Cemetery has acknowledged some of these discrepancies and is in the process of re-cutting Durnings headstone. --rogerd (talk) 02:58, 15 March 2008 (UTC), I had the priviledge and honor to meet Charles Durning some years ago, when I was on The Los Angeles St. Patrick's Day Committee, and we made him "Grand Marshall" for the parade in Hollywood. Today's #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Charles Durning, who served as an infantryman during World War II and later became a prolific actor. Steve Karras - who wrote the web2carz article - joined the discussion and provided additional data from his research. Age (2022) Update Soon. And yes, some say that his career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16 before going into acting. Get special job alerts, offers and insider tips on making the most of your military experience in the civilian workforce. In addition to three Purple Heart medals for his wounds, Durning was presented the Silver Star for valor. Select this result to view Charles Albin Durning's phone number, address, and more. Just because someone else makes a statement about the subject of this article, doesn't mean that it deserves mention here. Whether true or not, the statements of the French Consul would not be admissible in any U.S. civilian or military court since they do not satisfy either the Best Evidence rule or the Hearsay rule. Total mustering out pay was $300 $100 was paid at the time. In any case, recovered soldiers were returned to units of their original branch. the relation of the facts, how things happened. He was a great actor with a LOT of fascinating tales to tell. It's good to be scared. Charles Durning is indeed a great actor and served his country honorably during WWII, including his landing at Normandy on D-Day. He does not appear in the list of survivors who were brought back to the massacre site. 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. . Share on Facebook; Following your training period in 1943, you were sent to England in February of the following year. Which is strange. In 1976, he received both an Emmy and a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the television mini-series Captains and the Kings. The rest of the Wikipedia article on World War II service is, as others have noted here, quite inconsistent. His three brothers James (known as Roger, 19152000), Clifford (19161994), and Gerald (19262000) and his sister Frances (19182006) survived to adulthood, but five sisters died from scarlet fever and smallpox as children. 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. Durning is the only survivor of a unit that landed on Omaha Beach that June 6 in 1944. 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. Tootsie. In 1999, Durning was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame on Broadway. . And he was one of the few survivors of the infamous Malmedy massacre of American POWs. There are links to articles on the medals with pictures of them there. The ceremony took place in Los Angeles and the presenter was Philippe Larrieu, Consul General of France. By the time the 106th was ready to resume combat operations (25 April 45) the war was winding down (VE Day was just two weeks later) and the division was relegated to running POW camps rather than fighting as an infantry division. However, I just recently found out about his heroism during WWII which included being in the first wave on Omaha Beach at Normandy, being one of the few survivors of the Malmedy Massacre and being awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. A veteran character actor who was a widely recognizable face in film and on television for over five decades, Charles Durning earned his place as a dependable presence often . 386th Anti Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (semi-mobile). Charles Durning, a two-time Oscar nominee known for a wide-range of character roles on film, television and stage, died of natural causes on Christmas Eve. December 26th, 2012 Tweet A few words of respect for Charles Durning who died on Monday at age 89. To Be or Not to Be. Not only has no text been provided from this document, but it sounds like the entire thing was cribbed from this very article. firefighter Member 12,730 Location: Syracuse, NY #4 Posted February 14, 2016 He did his service hink441 Member 5,410 Location: Virginia #5 Posted February 14, 2016 If such a trivial thing deserves mention (which IMO it doesn't), then you would need to provide a reference that someone else is the 2nd most decorated soldier of WWII. Beginning in 1961, he appeared in 35 plays as part of the Shakespeare Festival. There are no original sources, official documents or corroborating accounts by those he served with that validate his stories. Block 36 shows arrival in the ETO on 19 Feb 44 and departure 8 Jan 46. And then you go and do a documentary feature film about the Bataan Death March (as I did last year and will begin screening on Feb. 14 at Brown University) and you end up gaining your own appreciation for the fact that history is just some agreed upon set of stories. 98.255.89.22 (talk) 09:00, 6 July 2013 (UTC), Oldbubblehead. They are unable to identify his unit or any records of his being there, other than the French consul saying so in their 2008 presentation of the French Legion of Honor to him. A report from the 12th Replacement Depot has him in England on December 20th, 1944. Snyder, who polices and hustles professional con artists. I now think that whoever said that was correct. He was discharged with the rank of private first class on January 30, 1946. Durning married his second wife, Mary Ann Amelio, in 1974. I wonder whether it might be able to get some rock solid sources on this. Let's discuss the editing here please. http://nmisscommentor.com/random-firings/charles-durning-obit-in-the-new-york-times/comment-page-1/#comment-126171. 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. Frankly speaking I have doubts about this. Well I should maybe have taken part earlier to this discussion. He was taken prisoner during the . [15][16] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. LOS ANGELES - From World War II hero to dancer and award-winning actor, Charles Durning has lived a storied life. 2.6M. A lot of that is released through acting. At least that last bit is what he told me, in detail. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. 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. Charles Durning Oldbubblehead (talk) 06:18, 18 June 2013 (UTC). Charles Durning is Update Soon years old in 2022. But he definitely does not claim to be a Malmedy survivor. Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor, with appearances in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. The Cat!" This is four days after the start of the Battle of the Bulge and three days after the Malmedy Massacre.Oldbubblehead (talk) 06:39, 7 May 2014 (UTC). It is hard to see where Mr. Durning would have earned a Silver Star with this unit. Durning was drafted into the U.S. Army just in time to fight in World War II. Durning first got his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. [18] The Huffington Post compared the two men, calling them "character actor titans".[19]. And there's the weakness in Wiki; the burden of proof should be on those making assertions of fact; instead, Wiki gives credence to unsubstantiated, possibly self-serving claims made by individuals, that are only bolstered by second and third hand retellings of that same man's stories. The suggestion that it should now be considered "definitive" is laughable, given that its origins are completely spurious.139.48.25.60 (talk) 18:33, 5 May 2009 (UTC), Some insight (OR) This information isn't currently usable in the article itself, since I'm not aware of a published source that can be cited. http://news.yahoo.com/durning-king-character-actors-dies-nyc-075353360.html, While the article notes there appears to be some confusion at Durning's war record (which unit he was with at any particular moment etc), I think the Third Army [art needs to be clarified. They were fighting at Bitche, France, 200+ kilometers from Malmedy at the time of the Massacre. Although he gained traction in cinema, Durning still performed in plays including "Drat! The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS on 17 December 1944 at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945). He was the son of Louise (ne Leonard; 18941982), a laundress at West Point, and James E. Durning (1883 c. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge, Durning, was one of the few survivors of the Malmedy massacre when German troops opened fire on dozens of American prisoners. Rlevse Talk 03:28, 9 November 2009 (UTC), i'm confused because it seems that three purple hearts are claimed, but only two instances of being wounded are cited. Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, the . He landed at D-Day, was in the Battle of the Bulge, and was part of the Malmady Massacre. The question of why a trained rifleman (if that is what he was on D-Day) would suddenly end up in a field artillery observation battalion (if that is what happened) on 17 December is still pertinent. 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? Every service member leaves the military eventually. He wasnt just a run of the mill World War II veteran. [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. From there he worked in a variety of plays. The charge of exaggerating one's military record is a very serious one (see Jeremy Michael Boorda), and needs to be backed up by evidence. View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page. Durning's performances in Broadway productions include Drat! My old buddy Dr. Steven Miller (who was my partner in the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project and would eventually be executive producer of Flock of Dodos as well as the current Lionfish PSA Campaign), quickly raised the funds for me to write and direct a commercial for the campaign. Durning does not appear in either the muster reports or morning reports of any of the units involved. 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 . He holds the Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts for wounds he suffered. The two fought with their bayonets, and Durning suffered further injury during the fight. A few additional points. The Malmady Massacre was a horrific event in which the Germans, after the Battle of the Bulge, rounded up and executed 80 American POWs. Durning was temporarily assigned to the Special Services (entertaining troops) before shipping home with the 398th Regiment in January, 1946. 68.124.153.86 (talk) 00:34, 30 April 2008 (UTC) Gerard, Other than his wartime experiences, the article makes no mention of Charles Durning's career pre 1973. He told me he was fond of my father because he was, in his opinion, one of only a handful that he felt was actually telling the truth most of the rest had either intentionally or unintentionally blown their stories up over the years into hugely embellished tales that contradicted each other and played loose with the facts. Working through Hollywood contacts we heard that veteran character actor Charles Durning was a keen Democrat (even though his wife was a staunch Republican and literally tried to keep him from associating with us). The French government apparently issued a statement mentioning Malmedy, but the closest I can come is this[1]. Both his war record and his acting career were mentioned. They had three children together before divorcing in 1972. Durning was present for the Battle of the Bulge, the German counter-offensive in December 1944. infamous attack on American POWs at Malmedy, Belgium, and was the sole survivor of 40 men who took out a German machine gun nest. Bubblehead, do Mr. Durning's record throw any light on this point? The chest wound which earned him the Purple Heart prompted his evacuation to the United States for recovery where he spent the remainder of his time with the Army. 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. It leaves you nervous about listening to the tales of war veterans. According to his TV Guide biography, Durning left home at age 16 and later enlisted in the Army.. I hope to get some kind of interview with him that can be published in order to cite these things, but with his current condition, I'm not sure it can be accomplished. See more ideas about charles durning, charles, movie stars. "Oldbubblehead (talk) 04:25, 17 July 2013 (UTC). He interviewed over 200 surviving P.O.W.s. Blacks later book, The Battalion: The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion goes into more detail about the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Charles Durning is the 1,433rd most popular actor (down from 1,265th in 2019), the 2,493rd most popular biography from United States (down from 2,309th in 2019) and the 695th most popular American Actor. and "Inherit the Wind.". Unfortunately, Durning is very frail and his conversation is a bit wandering and imprecise. 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. In 2005, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a Marine veteran in "Call of Silence," an episode in the television series NCIS, first broadcast November 23, 2004. The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS on 17 December 1944, at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945). SAG Award nominations will be announced Dec. 20. Having a successful career in the military is a major accomplishment. 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. He appeared on the FX television series Rescue Me, playing Mike Gavin, the retired firefighter father of Denis Leary's character. 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The ceremony took place in Los Angeles and the presenter was Philippe Larrieu, Consul General France... ] [ 16 ] he was undeterred, however, and much his... 1960 's TV shows 200+ kilometers from Malmedy at the time of the greatest character actors in living memory with... The infamous Malmedy massacre when German soldiers opened fire on nearly 90 of! 300 $ 100 was paid at the time of the infamous Malmedy massacre of American POWs and have. 1961, he performed in Bertolt Brecht 's the Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Al Pacino, by. Is not more forthcoming ; such vagueness merely arouses suspicion sent to England in February of the massacre! December 20th, 1944 on D-Day to tell himself as an actor about... Was correct an actor in cinema, Durning is Update Soon years old in....
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