David Burns (actor)

David Burns (June 22, 1902 – March 12, 1971) was an American Broadway theatre and motion picture actor and singer.[1][2]

David Burns
David Burns and Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway (1964)
Born	June 22, 1902 Manhattan, New York City
Died	March 12, 1971 (aged 68) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1918–1971

Life and career

Burns was born on Mott Street in Chinatown, Manhattan, the son of Harry and Dora Burns of Brooklyn.[3]

He made his Broadway debut in 1921 in Polly Preferred and went to London with the show in 1924.[4] His first musical was Face the Music in 1932,[5] and Cole Porter's Nymph Errant (1933) was his London debut.[6] He appeared in many comedies and musicals over an almost 50-year career.[7]

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).[8][7]

Burns introduced the hit song "It Takes a Woman" from Hello, Dolly (1964) as the original "Horace Vandergelder".[9][10]

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.[11]

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.[3]

Selected credits

Stage[7] 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)[12] Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen as "Colonel Purdy" (1970–1971)

Films[13] 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

Television 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[7]	Won
1963			A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum[7]	Won
1966	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	The Trials of O'Brien[11]	Nominated
1971			Hallmark Hall of Fame	Won
	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical	Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen[7]	Nominated

Further reading

• Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN 1-59393-320-7.

References

1. Sandra Brennan. "David Burns – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.
2. "David Burns". BFI.
3. "David Burns, 69, Star In Musicals" The New York Times, March 13, 1971.
4. The Broadway League. "David Burns – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".
5. Face the Music ibdb.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017
6. Nymph Errant sondheimguide.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017
7. "David Burns Broadway" Playbill. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
8. "Search Past Tony Award Winners and Nominees – TonyAwards.com – The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards – Official Website by IBM". TonyAwards.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
9. The Broadway League. "Hello, Dolly! – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information".
10. Hello, Dolly! Playbill. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
11. "David Burns Emmy" emmys.com. Retrieved October 14, 2017
12. Barnes, Clive. "Theater: Art Buchwald's 'Sheep on the Runway' " The New York Times, February 2, 1970
13. "David Burns Films" tcm.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017

External links

• David Burns at the Internet Broadway Database
• David Burns at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• David Burns at IMDb
• Who's Who in Musicals