WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen
actor were all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US
actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of
his fortieth birthday. The stockily built Charles Durning was one of
Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors.
Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, to Louise Marie
(Leonard), a laundress, and James Gerald Durning. His father was an
Irish immigrant and his mother was of Irish descent. Durning first got
his start in guest appearances in early 1960's TV shows. He scored
minor roles over the next decade until he really got noticed by film
fans as the sneering, corrupt cop "Lt. Snyder" hassling street grifter
'Robert Redford' in the multi award winning mega-hit
Der Clou (1973). Durning was equally
entertaining in the Billy Wilder production
of Extrablatt (1974), he
supported screen tough guy
Charles Bronson in the
suspenseful western
Nevada Pass (1975) and
featured as "Spermwhale Whalen" in the story of unorthodox police
behavior in Die Chorknaben (1977).
The versatile Durning is equally adept at comedic roles and
demonstrated his skills as "Doc Hopper" in
Muppet Movie (1979), a
feisty football coach in
Die Bullen von Dallas (1979), a
highly strung police officer berating maverick cop
Burt Reynolds in
Sharky und seine Profis (1981), and a
light footed, dancing Governor (alongside Burt Reynolds once more) in
Das schönste Freudenhaus in Texas (1982).
Durning continued a regular on screen association with
Burt Reynolds appearing in several
more feature films together and as "Dr. Harlan Elldridge" in the highly
popular TV series
Daddy schafft uns alle (1990). On par
with his multitude of feature film roles, Durning has always been in
high demand on television and has guest starred in
Alle lieben Raymond (1996),
Monk (2002) and
Rescue Me (2004). Plus, he has
appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television
movies.
