Art Carney


Actor
Art Carney

About

Also Known As
Arthur William Matthew Carney
Birth Place
Mount Vernon, New York, USA
Born
November 04, 1918
Died
November 09, 2003

Biography

Forever known as sewer worker Ed Norton in the 1950s sitcom "The Honeymooners," Art Carney was the youngest of six brothers and was drafted as an infantryman in World War II. During the Battle of Normandy, shrapnel hit Carney's leg and gave him a lifelong limp. He started in radio as a gifted mimic and in 1948 transitioned to television, making his debut as a waiter on "The Morey Amsterd...

Family & Companions

Jean Myers
Wife
Married on August 15, 1940; divorced in 1966; remarried in March 1977.
Barbara Isaac
Wife
Second wife; married in December 1966; divorced.

Bibliography

"Art Carney: A Biography"
Michael Starr, Fromm International (1997)

Notes

"Carney is without a doubt the greatest comedic sensitive that I have ever run into or seen." --Jackie Gleason in a televised interview

Biography

Forever known as sewer worker Ed Norton in the 1950s sitcom "The Honeymooners," Art Carney was the youngest of six brothers and was drafted as an infantryman in World War II. During the Battle of Normandy, shrapnel hit Carney's leg and gave him a lifelong limp. He started in radio as a gifted mimic and in 1948 transitioned to television, making his debut as a waiter on "The Morey Amsterdam Show." When he was hired for a supporting role to Jackie Gleason on "Cavalcade of Stars" in 1952, Carney found a comedic foil and lifelong friend until Gleason's 1987 death. The duo's skillful on-stage chemistry eventually yielded the Cramden/Norton tandem, two working-class stiffs forever pursuing get-rich schemes as their long-suffering wives looked on. Carney's Ed Norton truly perfected the idea of the comedic second banana, a role he continued to fill playing alongside Gleason in subsequent years. Carney still found plenty of time to nourish his own career, guesting on television series and appearing in a mid-1960s Broadway run of "The Odd Couple." In 1974, Carney won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in "Harry and Tonto." Roles in "Roadie," "Going in Style." "Firestarter," and finally 1993's "The Last Action Hero" were followed by his retirement from acting.

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Last Action Hero (1993)
Where Pigeons Go to Die (1990)
Night Friend (1988)
Monsignor O'Brien
The Naked Face (1985)
Morgens
The Blue Yonder (1985)
Henry Coogan
Izzy and Moe (1985)
A Doctor's Story (1984)
Terrible Joe Moran (1984)
Firestarter (1984)
The Emperor's New Clothes (1984)
Morty
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
(Cameo Appearance)
The Night They Saved Christmas (1984)
Better Late Than Never (1983)
Charley Dunbar
Bitter Harvest (1981)
St. Helens (1981)
Take This Job And Shove It (1981)
Roadie (1980)
Defiance (1980)
Steel (1980)
Fighting Back (1980)
You Can't Take It With You (1979)
Sunburn (1979)
The Ravagers (1979)
Letters From Frank (1979)
Frank Miller
Going in Style (1979)
Al
House Calls (1978)
Dr Amos Willoughby
Movie Movie (1978)
Scott Joplin (1977)
The Late Show (1977)
Ira Wells
Lanigan's Rabbi (1976)
Police Chief Paul Lanigan
Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
Katherine (1975)
Death Scream (1975)
Harry and Tonto (1974)
W. W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1974)
The Snoop Sisters (1972)
A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1965)
Joey Friedlander

Cast (Special)

The Honeymooners 50th Anniversary (2002)
Michael Landon: Memories With Laughter and Love (1991)
Comic Relief IV (1990)
The Honeymooners Anniversary Special (1990)
Jackie Gleason: The Great One (1988)
The Honeymooners Anniversary Celebration (1985)
Host
Seasons Greeting From the Honeymooners (1985)
The Last Leaf (1984)
Mr Verlane
Ringo (1978)
CBS: On the Air (1978)
The Honeymooners Christmas Special (1978)
Editor Norton; Their Friend
The Honeymooners Valentine Special (1978)
Editor Norton; Their Friend
The Honeymooners Christmas (1977)
Editor Norton; Their Friend
A Lucille Ball Special: What Now, Catherine Curtis? (1976)
Walter
Christmas in Disneyland (1976)
Gramps/Dr Wunderbar
The Honeymooners Second Honeymoon (1976)
Editor Norton; Their Friend
Lola (1976)
Happy Endings (1975)
Happy Anniversary and Goodbye (1974)
The Jackie Gleason Special (1973)
Editor Norton
The Perry Como Winter Show (1972)
The Perry Como Winter Show (1971)
The Jane Powell Show (1961)
Guest
The Connie Francis Show (1961)
Guest
Full Moon Over Brooklyn (1960)
Milton Barker
The Man in the Dog Suit (1960)
Oliver Walling
The Right Man (1960)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Three in One (1960)
Sammy (Story 1), Nat (Story 2), George Pepper (Story 3)
The Best of Anything (1960)
Host
Call Me Back (1960)
Tom O'Neill
Victory (1960)
Axel Heyst
Art Carney Meets the Sorcerer's Apprentice (1959)
Cicero
Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (1959)
Himself
Harvey (1958)
Elwood P Dowd
Panama Hattie (1954)
Woozy

Misc. Crew (Special)

Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (1959)
Other

Cast (Short)

The Car That Became a Star (1964)
Himself

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story (1986)
The Undergrads (1985)
The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold (1981)
Narration
The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold (1981)
Voice Of Barney Kilakarney
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980)

Life Events

1936

Began his career as a mimic and novelty singer with the Horace Heidt Orchestra

1941

Made his screen debut in a bit part in "Pot o' Gold," which was his last feature appearance for over 20 years

1942

Worked in radio with Horace Heidt, on "The March of Time," doing impersonations of politicians in the news and often partnered with character actor Ollie O'Toole, and as second banana to Fred Allen, Edgar Bergen and Bert Lahr

1948

Made his TV series debut as Charlie the doorman and Newton the waiter on "The Morey Amsterdam Show" (CBS, 1948-1949; DuMont, 1949-1950)

1951

Introduced his Ed Norton character on "The Honeymooners" skit on "Cavalcade of Stars"

1951

Was a regular on the NBC variety series "Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt"

1964

First major screen role, "The Yellow Rolls-Royce"

1965

Originated the role of Felix Unger on Broadway in "The Odd Couple"

1969

Earned a Tony Award nomination for his role in the stage play "Lovers" by Brian Friel

1974

Won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as a senior citizen in "Harry and Tonto"

1977

Delivered one of his best film performances as an aging detective investigating his partner's murder in Robert Benton's "The Late Show"

1977

Starred in the short-lived NBC series "Lanigan's Rabbi"

1979

Teamed with George Burns and Lee Strasberg for "Going in Style"

1984

Had a featured role in "The Muppets Take Manhattan"

1984

Won his sixth Emmy for a supporting role in "Terrible Joe Moran" (CBS), starring James Cagney

1985

Final onscreen teaming with Jackie Gleason in the title roles of the CBS TV-movie "Izzy and Moe"

1988

Hosted "Jackie Gleason: The Great One," a posthumous CBS tribute to Gleason

1990

Made his last TV movie "Where Pigeons Go to Die" (NBC)

1993

Final feature appearace to date in "The Last Action Hero"

Photo Collections

The Late Show - Movie Poster
The Late Show - Movie Poster

Videos

Movie Clip

Harry And Tonto (1974) -- (Movie Clip) Did You See Ironside? Opening scene from writer, producer and director Paul Mazursky, Art Carney the title character with Tonto his cat, Rene Enriquez as "Jesus" and Herbert Berghof as "Jacob" in support, from Harry And Tonto, 1974.
Harry And Tonto (1974) -- (Movie Clip) Great Town For Cats At Newark airport ready to begin his journey west, Harry (Art Carney) discovers Tonto has to go through the metal detector so he abandons the plane, and meets a talkative cabbie (Muriel Beerman), in Paul Mazursky's Harry And Tonto, 1974.
Harry And Tonto (1974) -- (Movie Clip) What Happened To Chico? With hitcher Ginger (Melanie Mayron), Harry (Art Carney) arrives at the Chicago bookshop run by his lovelorn daughter Shirley (Ellen Burstyn), his grandson Norman (Josh Mostel) making a half-hearted attempt to intervene, in Paul Mazursky's Harry And Tonto, 1974.
Harry And Tonto (1974) -- (Movie Clip) Thinking About Lear Arrival of the police car indicating that the situation has suddenly become urgent, retired New York schoolteacher Harry (Art Carney) being evicted, and panicked son Burt (Philip Bruns) with a weak rescue, early in writer-producer-director Paul Mazursky's Harry And Tonto, 1974.
Yellow Rolls Royce, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) We Have Nothing Armor-Plated Beginning the second of three stories linked by the car, we meet American gangster Paolo (George C. Scott), his aide (Art Carney) and moll Mae (Shirley MacLaine), greeted by a salesman (Riccardo Garrone ) in Genoa, in The Yellow Rolls Royce. 1964.
Late Show, The (1977) -- (Movie Clip) They Did It Better Back Then Old-school LA private eye Ira (Art Carney) has figured out that ex-actress freelance whatever Margo (Lily Tomlin) didn’t tell him she had already hired his partner, since shot and killed, to find her cat, when she asked him to take the job, in writer-director Robert Benton’s The Late Show, 1977.
Late Show, The (1977) -- (Movie Clip) How Do You Feel About Cats? From the opening scene we know that Art Carney is retiring LA private eye Ira Wells, working on a memoir, when his partner arrives fatally wounded, and now at the funeral where we meet Charlie (Bill Macy) and Margo (Lily Tomlin), in writer-director Robert Benton’s The Late Show, 1977.
Late Show, The (1977) -- (Movie Clip) Act Calm Detective Ira (Art Carney) and looney client Margo (Lily Tomlin) follow their paid-for clue to the apartment where crook Escobar was hiding, and they find her cat, so she considers the case finished, but he notes complications, and meets the armed Joanna Cassidy, in Robert Benton’s acclaimed The Late Show, 1977.
Going In Style (1979) -- (Movie Clip) I Never Forget To Flush Writer-director Martin Brest finds his three leads on a park bench in Brooklyn, Art Carney as Al, Lee Strasberg as Willie and George Burns as Joe, opening the whimsical geriatric crime-comedy Going In Style, 1979.
Going In Style (1979) -- (Movie Clip) A Bank's A Bank Brooklyn pensioners Joe (George Burns), Al (Art Carney) and Willie (Lee Strasberg) on a rare excursion to Manhattan, shopping for a bank to rob, in director Martin Brest’s debut film, Going In Style, 1979.
Going In Style (1979) -- (Movie Clip) Don't Get Any Bright Ideas Slightly nervous now, Brooklyn retirees Joe (George Burns, the head man), Al (Art Carney, taking the bank guard) and Willie (Lee Strasberg, gaining confidence) execute their Manhattan bank stickup, in Going In Style, 1979.

Trailer

Family

Edward Carney
Father
Journalist, insurance salesman.
Helen Carney
Mother
Violinist.
Jack Carney
Brother
Booking agent. Died 1956; older.
Ned Carney
Brother
Older.
Phil Carney
Brother
Older.
Frederick Carney
Brother
Older.
Robert Carney
Brother
Older.
Eileen Carney
Daughter
Born in September 1946; mother, Jean Myers.
Brian Carney
Son
Born in February 1946; mother, Jean Myers.
Paul Carney
Son
Born in 1952; mother, Jean Myers.

Companions

Jean Myers
Wife
Married on August 15, 1940; divorced in 1966; remarried in March 1977.
Barbara Isaac
Wife
Second wife; married in December 1966; divorced.

Bibliography

"Art Carney: A Biography"
Michael Starr, Fromm International (1997)

Notes

"Carney is without a doubt the greatest comedic sensitive that I have ever run into or seen." --Jackie Gleason in a televised interview