David Burns (June 22, 1902 – March 12, 1971) was an American Broadway theatre and motion picture actor and singer.
Life and career
Burns was born on Mott Street in Chinatown, Manhattan, the son of Harry and Dora Burns of Brooklyn.
He made his Broadway debut in 1921 in Polly Preferred and went to London with the show in 1924. His first musical was Face the Music in 1932, and Cole Porter’s Nymph Errant (1933) was his London debut. He appeared in many comedies and musicals over an almost 50-year career.
He won two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, for his performances as “Mayor Shinn” in The Music Man (1958) and as “Senex” in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963).
Burns introduced the hit song “It Takes a Woman” from Hello, Dolly (1964) as the original “Horace Vandergelder”.
Burns won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Drama Series for his role of Mr. Solomon in the 1971 TV special (Hallmark Hall of Fame) The Price by Arthur Miller.
Death
Burns died on stage on March 12, 1971, of a heart attack in Philadelphia during the out-of-town tryout of Kander and Ebb’s musical 70, Girls, 70.
Selected credits
Polly Preferred (1923)
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939–1941)
Pal Joey (1940–1941)
Oklahoma! (1943)
Billion Dollar Baby (1945)
Cole Porter’s Out of This World (1950)
Alive and Kicking (1950)
Two’s Company (1952)
A Hole in the Head (1957)
The Music Man (1959)
Do Re Mi (1960–1962)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963)
Hello, Dolly! (1964)
Make Mine Manhattan
The Price (1968–1969)
Art Buchwald’s Sheep on the Runway (1970)
Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen as “Colonel Purdy” (1970–1971)
De Luxe Annie (1918) – Joe – Grocery Clerk
The Queen’s Affair (1934) – Manager
The Path of Glory (1934) – Ginsberg
Romance in Rhythm (1934) – Mollari
Rendezvous (1935) – German-Speaking Bellhop (uncredited)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936) – Clarence (uncredited)
Crime Over London (1936) – Sniffy
Strangers on Honeymoon (1936) – Lennie
Spring Handicap (1937) – Amos
Smash and Grab (1937) – Bellini
The Live Wire (1937) – Snakey
Just like a Woman (1938) – Pedro
The Return of Carol Deane (1938) – Nick Wellington
Sidewalks of London (1938) – Hackett
Hey! Hey! USA (1938) – Tony Ricardo
The Sky’s the Limit (1938) – ‘Ballyhoo’ Bangs
The Gang’s All Here (1939) – Beretti
So This Is London (1939) – Drunk (uncredited)
A Girl Must Live (1939) – Joe Gold
I Killed the Count (1939) – Diamond
A Gentleman’s Gentleman (1939) – Alfred
The Saint in London (1939) – Dugan
She Couldn’t Say No (1939) – Chester
Fourteen Hours (1951) – Cab Driver (uncredited)
Deep in My Heart (1954) – Lazar Berrison, Sr.
It’s Always Fair Weather (1955) – Tim
Four Boys and a Gun (1957) – Television man
Once Upon a Horse… (1958) – Bruno de Gruen
Let’s Make Love (1960) – Oliver Burton
The Tiger Makes Out (1967) – Mr. Ratner
How to Commit Marriage (1969)
Move (1970) – Doorman
Who Is Harry Kellerman (1971) – Leon Soloway
The Imogene Coca Show (1955) – Regular
Awards and nominations
| Year |
Award |
Category |
Work |
Result |
| 1958 |
Tony Award |
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical |
The Music Man |
Won |
| 1963 |
|
|
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum |
Won |
| 1966 |
Primetime Emmy Award |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
The Trials of O’Brien |
Nominated |
| 1971 |
|
|
Hallmark Hall of Fame |
Won |
|
Tony Award |
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical |
Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen |
Nominated |
Further reading
Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 1-59393-320-7.
External Links
Actor David Burns – Wikipedia
