Danny Kaye
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"I was a wife-made man."--Danny Kaye (quoted in "Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion", 9th edition, 1988).
Original last name alternately spelled Kominiski and Kominsky in various sources.
Biography
Gifted, energetic and immensely charismatic comedic entertainer who honed his skills as a rapid-fire patter singer, a comedian and a master of fractured foreign accents and mimicry on the "Borscht Belt" circuit of Catskill resorts and in vaudeville, before moving to Broadway and films in the early 1940s. With clever songs and special material tailored to showcase his comedic gifts and light sweet voice written by Sylvia Fine (whom he married in 1940) and the backing of Samuel Goldwyn with whom he signed in 1943, Kaye starred in a series of evergreen comedies with music, often playing befuddled innocents who act with surprising heroism and ultimately get the girl. Among his most beloved classic films are "Wonder Man" (1945) "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947), "The Inspector General" (1949), "Hans Christian Andersen" (1952) and "The Court Jester" (1956).
By the early 1950s Kaye was actively involved with UNICEF and made a short film called "Assignment Children" (1954) for the United Nations. He also won a Special Academy Award in 1954 for "his unique talents, his service to the Academy, the motion picture industry, and the American people." His film career came to a virtual halt as he focused on his Emmy winning TV variety show, "The Danny Kaye Show" (1963-67) and his work with UNICEF in the 1960s and often performed with symphony orchestras as guest conductor.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (Short)
Life Events
1937
Short film debut, "Dime a Dance" (two-reel short; produced by small independent film company, Educational Pictures)
1938
Performed in cabaret show at the Dorchester in London
1938
Starred in "Getting an Eyeful" and "Cupid Takes a Holiday", short subjects for Educational Pictures; three shorts were later compiled into film titled, "The Danny Kaye Story/Birth of a Star" (1944)
1939
Broadway debut in "The Straw Hat Revue", comprised of skit material from summer camp in Pennsylvania that he, Sylvia Fine, Max Liebman and Imogene Coca had worked in
1939
New York stage debut, "Left of Broadway"
1941
Gained first major notice for his high-speed novelty number, "Tchaikovsky" in the Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin Broadway musical, "Lady in the Dark"
1941
Headlined a vaudeville revue at the Palace Theater in NY
1941
Rejected MGM contract at $3,000 per week
1941
Starred in the Cole Porter musical "Let's Face It" on Broadway
1943
Signed contract with Samuel Goldwyn who insisted he lighten his hair to blond; Sylvia Fine also signed by Goldwyn to write special material for husband
1944
Feature film debut in "Up in Arms"
1945
Premiere of "The Danny Kaye Show" on CBS radio
1948
First performed at the London Palladium
1952
Formed Dena Productions with Sylvia Fine
1953
Signed with MGM to film a musical version of "Huckleberry Finn" co-starring Gene Kelly; film postponed, then project abandoned
1963
Starred on "The Danny Kaye Show" on TV
1966
Toured Vietnam war fronts with the USO
1969
Played character part of ragpicker in final film, "The Madwoman of Chaillot"
1981
TV movie debut, "Skokie"
1986
Made guest appearance playing a dentist on "The Bill Cosby Show"
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"I was a wife-made man."--Danny Kaye (quoted in "Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion", 9th edition, 1988).
Original last name alternately spelled Kominiski and Kominsky in various sources.
Donald Spoto in "Enchantment: The Life of Laurence Olivier" (1992) alleges that Olivier had a passionate 10-year affair with Danny Kaye and had written about it for his autobiography but Olivier's wife Joan Plowright ordered the reference deleted.
He received the UNICEF'S first award for Distinguished Service from the United Nation's Children's Fund.
UNICEF'S ambassador-at-large for 34 years.
Given the Scopus Laureate in 1977.
He received a honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the Colgate University.
Honorary member of the American College of Surgeons.
Honorary member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
He was awarded the Wateler Peace Prize from the Carnegie Foundation in 1981.
Made Chevalier in the Legion of Honor by French government 1986)
Received the Knight's Cross of the First Class of the Order of Danneborg by the Danish Government.
He was co-owner of the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club.
