Nat 'King' Cole
Biography
Nat King Cole was an American actor, singer, and jazz pianist who began leading the King Cole Trio in the late 1930s. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, he learned organ from his mother and studied piano as a boy. The trio became Capitol Records' top-selling group during the 1940s and a model for small jazz ensembles. From 1950 onward he performed as a solo singer, scoring hits such as Nature Boy, Mona Lisa, and Unforgettable. He hosted The Nat King Cole Show on NBC from 1956 to 1957, the first national television variety program to have a Black American host. His film work included The Blue Gardenia (1953), China Gate (1957), St. Louis Blues (1958), and Cat Ballou (1965), his final film. He won a Grammy in 1959 for Midnight Flyer and received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1960, a Special Achievement Golden Globe Award, and, posthumously, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990.
45years old at death
- Born Montgomery
- Died Santa Monica
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Nathaniel Adams Coles (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 8
- Career span
- 56 years1946 to 2002
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A first
Cole's career began in the late 1930s as a jazz pianist, and he formed the King Cole Trio. In the 1940s the group was the top-selling act on Capitol Records and the only black act there.
Big break
Legend says Cole's singing career began when a drunken bar patron demanded he perform a song. Cole told it differently: one night a customer asked for a tune, and since he did not know it, he sang "Sweet Lorraine" instead.
A first
In 1946, Cole's trio put out a 15-minute radio program called King Cole Trio Time. A black musician had never hosted a radio program before.
A first
Cole hosted the NBC variety series The Nat King Cole Show from 1956 to 1957. It was the first nationally broadcast television show with a Black American as host.
A first
Cole released a 1960 Christmas album, The Magic of Christmas, which is also called The Christmas Song. It sold more copies than any other Christmas album put out during the 1960s.
Nat 'King' Cole movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
Nat 'King' Cole shares two films with Duke Ellington, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Duke Ellington's page
The King Cole Trio's page
James Hong's page
Jane Fonda's page
Lee Marvin's page
Lee Van Cleef's page
Elliot SilversteinDirector, 1 film, 1965
All films by Elliot Silverstein
All films by Fritz Lang
Michael CurtizDirector, 1 film, 1956
All films by Michael Curtiz
Awards
Four awards and honors from 1990 to 2007, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 1990 | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumous) | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2007 | Latin Grammy Hall of Fame (posthumous) | Cole Español | Won |
| 2000 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (posthumous) | Won | |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.