![]() ![]() Durning took part in the Normandy invasion of France on D-Day, winning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.Īfter his military discharge, he held several jobs: elevator operator, ironworker, cab driver, dance instructor, boxer. Following high school, he served in the Army’s 1st Infantry Division during World War II. The son of an Army officer, he took classical dance lessons as a youth. The second youngest of five children, Durning was born Feb. He had a role in Scavenger Killers, a crime thriller scheduled to open next year starring Eric Roberts and Robert Loggia. With his stocky frame, he played Santa Claus five times in TV movies, often invigorating the “ho-ho” hum character with a curt edge. ![]() Resembling what one might envision as a grizzled cop, Durning excelled in congenial everyman roles and was a familiar character actor, if not a household name. He also did voice work for Family Guy and had a recurring role as a priest on Everybody Loves Raymond. He was nominated for nine Emmys, most recently for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for FX’s Rescue Me.ĭurning served as a regular on the Linda Bloodworth-Thomason sitcom Evening Shade, having previously played with that series’ star, Burt Reynolds, in the films Starting Over (1979) and Best Little Whorehouse. Long active on the stage, Durning won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Big Daddy in the Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1990.Īlso that year, he captured a Golden Globe for his role as “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald in the miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts, based on the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. He also appeared in two Coen brothers films: The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). president in Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977) and a formidable monsignor in Mass Appeal (1984). He was a frazzled police lieutenant in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), the U.S. His other memorable movie roles included playing Dustin Hoffman’s surprised suitor in Sydney Pollack‘s classic comedy Tootsie (1982). ![]()
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