Burl Ives
Biography
Burl Ives was an American singer and actor whose career lasted more than six decades. Born in Hunt City, Illinois, he started as an itinerant singer and guitarist and began a radio program, The Wayfaring Stranger, that helped popularize traditional folk songs. He made his Broadway debut in The Boys from Syracuse in 1938, he joined the cast of This Is the Army in 1942, and became a major CBS Radio star. His film work included So Dear to My Heart (1948), East of Eden (1955), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and The Big Country (1958), which brought him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In the 1960s he crossed into country music with hits including Funny Way of Laughin' and A Little Bitty Tear, and he voiced Sam the Snowman in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964). Later films included White Dog (1982). He announced his retirement in 1989 and died in 1995.
85years old at death
- Born Hunt City
- Died Anacortes
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Also credited as Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives
Movie Career
- Films
- 22
- Career span
- 42 years1946 to 1988
Genres
First and latest
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Early training
Ives attended the Juilliard School in New York in 1933. Five years later he made his Broadway debut in a small role in the Rodgers and Hart musical The Boys from Syracuse.
Beyond film
Ives provided the voice of Sam the Snowman, the banjo-playing narrator and host who told how Rudolph saved Christmas from a blizzard. The next year, Ives rerecorded the three Johnny Marks hits from the TV special with a more pop feel.
A first
Ives's 1949 recording of "Lavender Blue", which he introduced in the film So Dear to My Heart, became his first hit and earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Beyond film
When America Sings opened at Disneyland in 1974, Ives provided the voice of the main host, Sam Eagle, an Audio-Animatronic figure.
Burl Ives movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer1964 Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musicalas Sam the Snowmanvoice
IMDb rating 8.043K votes
Most often with
Six actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Dabbs Greer's page
Rudy Bowman's page
Millie Perkins's page
Howard Smith's page
Kristy McNichol's page
Box office
What Burl Ives's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$28.7 million
6 of the 22 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 22 films: 6 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 12 figure not found.
- 6Worldwide figure
- 1US gross only
- 3Never in cinemas
- 12Figure not found
Highest grossing
The six biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$18M61.3% of the total
- 2$5.0M17.4% of the total
- 3$3.5M12.2% of the total
- 4$1.5M5.4% of the total
- 5$1.0M3.5% of the total
- 6$47K0.2% of the total
Awards
Four awards and honors from 1958 to 1962, three of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1959 | Best Supporting Actor | The Big Country | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1958 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | The Big Country | Won |
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 1962 | Best Country & Western Recording | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| Order of Lincoln | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.