Danny Kaye

His father, Jacob Kaminski; his mother, Clar; and his two older brothers, Mack and Larry, emigrated from Ukraine to the United States in 1910. Jacob had to work two years before he could pay off those steamer tickets. Three years after this journey, their third and last child was born, and the only one born in America: David Daniel, or as his parents called him: Duvidelleh.

His daughter Dena has revealed that his birth certificate indicates that he was born in 1911, not 1913 as Kaye had publicly claimed, and that no one in the family knows why he made this alteration to his age.

Danny Kaye left school at the age of 13 to work in the so-called Borscht Belt of Jewish resorts in the Catskill Mountains. It was there he learned the basics of show biz. From there he went through a series of jobs in and out of the business. In 1939, he made his Broadway debut in "Straw Hat Revue," but it was the stage production of the musical "Lady in the Dark" in 1940 that brought him acclaim and notice from agents.

Also in 1940, he married Sylvia Fine, who went on to manage his career. She 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 had been trying to sign Kaye to a movie contract for two years before he eventually agreed.

Producer Samuel Goldwyn's wife Francis Howard would often travel to New York City scouting Broadway productions, looking for talent in both the production's acting areas and the creative teams involved. On her 1941 trip to see the Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin-Moss Hart musical "Lady in The Dark" --she discovered Kaye. Returning to Hollywood, she insisted that her husband put Kaye under contract. After he arrived in Hollywood, several screen tests were made to determine the best possible path for his future at Samuel Goldwyn Productions. The major problem with his physical look, besides his nose, was his natural dark-brown hair. Francis, upon seeing his screen tests, told her husband, "Change his hair color" and to "turn Danny into a red headed strawberry blond!" Goldwyn's studio press agent always insisted Kaye's strawberry-blond hair was his natural hair color for, publicity purposes.

Goldwyn put him in a series of Technicolor musicals, starting with Up in Arms (1944).

His debut was successful, and he continued to make hit movies such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and The Inspector General (1949).

In 1953 received a Special Tony Award for heading a variety bill at the Palace Theater.

In 1954, he appeared with Bing Crosby in White Christmas (1954), which was based on the Irving Berlin song of the same name.

In 1955, he made what many consider his best comedy, The Court Jester (1955), with the brilliant Pellet with the Poison routine. Like all things, however, the lifespan of a comedian is limited and his movie career waned.

Conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra at New York's Carnegie Hall for a benefit concert on March 10, 1958--with his feet.

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 was a heavy cigarette smoker, although he tried to switch to a pipe after the Surgeon General's report was published in 1964.

While appearing in the musical "Two By Two" (1970-1971), he tore ligaments and played the role of Noah in a wheelchair since he did not use understudies.

While he was world-famous for his comic acting ability, his last film appearance, Skokie (1981), in which he portrayed a Holocaust survivor protesting a planned march by Neo-Nazis, was one of only two dramatic film roles he played--the other was the role of the Ragpicker in the 1969 film The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969), starring Katharine Hepburn. Danny played in two other dramatic movies: Me and the Colonel (1958) and The Five Pennies.

Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1986.

Shirley MacLaine claims she had a fling with him, in her 2011 memoir "I'm Over That And Other Confessions.".