Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Dig a hole: Charles Durning

Would characters actors please refrain from dying long enough for me to unwrap my Christmas presents?

First Jack Klugman and now Charles Durning.

Charles Durning, the man who played Santa Claus five times (It Nearly Wasn't Christmas, Mrs. Santa Claus, Elmo Saves Christmas, Mr. St. Nick, and A Boyfriend for Christmas) died on Christmas Eve of natural causes at his home in New York City. He was 89.

Durning was a powerhouse, a compact, barrel-chested dynamo who quietly, or otherwise, commanded every scrap of film he graced. He even proved to be light on his tootsie when the former dance instructor appeared as the side-stepping Governor of Texas -- and the only bright ray -- in the otherwise slow-footed big screen adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJG75FJkjr8

His talent as a dancer is even more amazing when you take into consideration the fact that at age 21 he took a bullet to the hip -- which he carried to his dying day -- at Omaha Beach. Durning was the only member of his platoon to survive the "D-Day" invasion.

In addition to finding work as a dance instructor, Durning was a professional boxer before the acting bug nipped him. Long after he began his career in television, Durning would turn to the Fred Astaire Dance Studios when acting jobs became hard to find. His daughter, Jeanine Durning, is a respected New York-based modern dance performer and choreographer.

Durning was in no hurry to become a movie star. His origins were on the New York stage where he would continue to return once or twice a decade. With but a few big screen credits to his name (bit roles in The Password is Courage and Hi, Mom!), Durning didn't begin leaving celluloid fingerprints of any significance until The Sting (1973). He was 50 at the time of its release.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/dec/25/37407/

For a period in the '70's it was virtually impossible to find a film shot that didn't feature Durning. Sisters, Dog Day Afternoon, Twilight's Last Gleaming and Starting Over are but a few of the many memorable films Durning added weight to.

His last performance -- a retired firefighter Michael Gavin on the tele-drama, Rescue Me, earned the actor an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego Dim Sum Tour, Warwick’s Holiday Open House

Events November 24-November 27, 2024

Would characters actors please refrain from dying long enough for me to unwrap my Christmas presents?

First Jack Klugman and now Charles Durning.

Charles Durning, the man who played Santa Claus five times (It Nearly Wasn't Christmas, Mrs. Santa Claus, Elmo Saves Christmas, Mr. St. Nick, and A Boyfriend for Christmas) died on Christmas Eve of natural causes at his home in New York City. He was 89.

Durning was a powerhouse, a compact, barrel-chested dynamo who quietly, or otherwise, commanded every scrap of film he graced. He even proved to be light on his tootsie when the former dance instructor appeared as the side-stepping Governor of Texas -- and the only bright ray -- in the otherwise slow-footed big screen adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJG75FJkjr8

His talent as a dancer is even more amazing when you take into consideration the fact that at age 21 he took a bullet to the hip -- which he carried to his dying day -- at Omaha Beach. Durning was the only member of his platoon to survive the "D-Day" invasion.

In addition to finding work as a dance instructor, Durning was a professional boxer before the acting bug nipped him. Long after he began his career in television, Durning would turn to the Fred Astaire Dance Studios when acting jobs became hard to find. His daughter, Jeanine Durning, is a respected New York-based modern dance performer and choreographer.

Durning was in no hurry to become a movie star. His origins were on the New York stage where he would continue to return once or twice a decade. With but a few big screen credits to his name (bit roles in The Password is Courage and Hi, Mom!), Durning didn't begin leaving celluloid fingerprints of any significance until The Sting (1973). He was 50 at the time of its release.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/dec/25/37407/

For a period in the '70's it was virtually impossible to find a film shot that didn't feature Durning. Sisters, Dog Day Afternoon, Twilight's Last Gleaming and Starting Over are but a few of the many memorable films Durning added weight to.

His last performance -- a retired firefighter Michael Gavin on the tele-drama, Rescue Me, earned the actor an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Dig a Hole: Ben Gazzara

Next Article

Free movies of the week, the Santa Claus edition

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader