Danny Kaye
Biography
Danny Kaye was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer known for physical comedy, pantomime and rapid-fire novelty songs. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1911, he started out as a teenage tummler in the Catskills and joined the Three Terpsichoreans vaudeville act in 1933. His Broadway breakthrough came in Lady in the Dark, in which Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians) became a show-stopping number, before Samuel Goldwyn cast him in his 1944 feature debut, Up in Arms. He starred in 23 films; among them were Wonder Man (1945), The Court Jester (1955), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), White Christmas (1954), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), and The Inspector General (1949). He won Golden Globe Awards for On the Riviera and Me and the Colonel, and received an honorary Academy Award in 1955 and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1982. From 1963 to 1967 he hosted The Danny Kaye Show, which earned four Emmy awards and a Peabody award.
76years old at death
- Born Brooklyn
- Died Los Angeles
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- David Daniel Kaminsky (birth name)Also credited as Daniel Kaminsky
Movie Career
- Films
- 15
- Career span
- 78 years1945 to 2023
Genres
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First role
Kaye got his first break in 1933 by joining the Three Terpsichoreans, a vaudeville dance act. The group opened in Utica, New York, and it was there that he first performed as Danny Kaye.
A change of course
While the troupe was in Osaka, Japan, a typhoon struck and damaged their hotel. With the power out and the audience restless, Kaye took the stage with a flashlight to light his face and loudly sang all the songs he could remember.
Getting ready for a role
Trying to amuse crowds who could not understand English pushed Kaye toward pantomime gestures, songs, and facial expressions, the things that eventually built his reputation.
Big break
In 1941, at age 30, Kaye scored a triumph on Broadway playing Russell Paxton in Lady in the Dark, with a show-stopping number that had him singing the names of Russian composers at breakneck speed.
Danny Kaye movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Melvin Frank and Norman Panama directed two of these films together. Virginia Mayo appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Virginia Mayo's page
Bess Flowers's page
George Davis's page
Gavin Gordon's page
Steve Cochran's page
Lewis Martin's page
Melvin FrankDirector, 2 films, 1954 to 1955
All films by Melvin Frank
Norman PanamaDirector, 2 films, 1954 to 1955
All films by Norman Panama
Also two films together3 more actors
- Patrick AherneThe Court Jester (1955) and Knock on Wood (1954)
- Barrie ChaseWhite Christmas (1954) and Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
- Vera-EllenWhite Christmas (1954) and Wonder Man (1945)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1951 to 1987, five of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1955 | Honorary Award | Honorary | |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1959 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Me and the Colonel | Won |
| 1951 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | On the Riviera | Won |
| Emmy Awards | |||
| Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | Won | ||
| SAG Awards | |||
| 1982 | Life Achievement Award | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 1987 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Won | |
| 1986 | Knight of the Legion of Honour | Won | |
| 1984 | Kennedy Center Honors | Won | |
| 1982 | Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award | Won | |
| 1981 | Peabody Awards | Won | |
| 1981 | Wateler Peace Prize | Won | |
| 1953 | Special Tony Award | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.