Danny Kaye

David Daniel Kaminski
1913 - 1987 (heart attack)
American born New York City

Height 5' 11" (1.80 m) . Danny Kaye left school at the age of 13 to work in the Borscht Belt of the Catskill Mountains. It was there that he learned the basics of showbiz. From there, he went through a series of jobs in and out of the business. In 1939, he made his Broadway debut in the Straw Hat Revue, but it was the stage production of the musical Lady in the Dark (1954) (TV) that brought him acclaim and notice from the agents. Also in 1940, Danny married Sylvia Fine who went on to manage his career. She also helped create the routines and gags, and wrote most of the songs that he performed. Danny could sing and dance like many others, but his specialty was reciting those tongue-twisting songs and monologues. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. had been trying to sign him to a movie contract for two years before he eventually agreed. Goldwyn wanted to put him into a series of Technicolor musicals starting with Up in Arms (1944). His debut, as Danny, was successful and he continued to make hit movies such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and The Inspector General (1949). In 1954, he appeared with Bing Crosby in the movie White Christmas (1954), which was based on the Irving Berlin song of the same name. In 1956, he gave one of his greatest performances as the phony court jester in The Court Jester (1956). But like all things, the life-span of a comedian is limited and his movie career waned. In 1960, he began doing specials on television and this led to his own TV series, "The Danny Kaye Show" (1963), which ran from 1963 to 1967. He also worked tirelessly for UNICEF. Spouse Sylvia Fine (3 January 1940 - 3 March 1987) (his death) 1 child.

"The Cosby Show" (1986), "The Twilight Zone" (1985) , "Disneyland" (1982) , Skokie (1981) , Musical Comedy Tonight II (1981) , Peter Pan (1976) , Pinocchio (1976) , "The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People" (1975) , The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes (1972) , Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971) , The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) , The Man from the Diner's Club (1963) , On the Double (1961) , The Millionairess (1960) , The Five Pennies (1959) , Me and the Colonel (1958) , Merry Andrew (1958) , The Court Jester (1956) , White Christmas (1954) , Knock on Wood (1954) , Hans Christian Andersen (1952) , On the Riviera (1951) , The Inspector General (1949), A Song Is Born (1948) , The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) , The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) , Wonder Man (1945) , Up in Arms (1944) , Autumn Laughter (1938) , Money on Your Life (1938) , Cupid Takes a Holiday (1938) , Getting an Eyeful (1938) , Dime a Dance (1937), Moon Over Manhattan (1935)