Burns, George

Burns, George, 1896–1996, b. New York City as Nathan Birnbaum, and his wife

Gracie Allen, 1906–64, b. San Francisco, American comedy team (1923–58). In vaudeville in the 1920s, on radio (1932–50) and television (1950–58) and in films, they played an endlessly patient husband and scatterbrained wife. Although he continued to perform after his wife's retirement, his solo career did not flourish until he won an Academy Award for The Sunshine Boys (1975). Subsequently, Burns enjoyed great success as a cigar-puffing nightclub entertainer and as a film actor, becoming particularly well-known for his role as God in three motion pictures.

Bibliography

See his Gracie: A Love Story (1988) and All My Best Friends (1989).

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Burns, George

 orig. Nathan Birnbaum

(born Jan. 20, 1896, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died March 9, 1996, Beverly Hills, Calif.) U.S. comedian best known for his collaboration with Gracie Allen (1902–64). Burns and Allen formed a comedy team in 1925 and were married in 1926. They performed on radio in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1932–50), with Burns playing the straight man to Allen's malaprop-prone chatterbox, before their show moved to television (1950–58). They made 13 films together, including The Big Broadcast films of 1932, 1936, and 1937. Burns returned to the screen in films such as The Sunshine Boys (1975, Academy Award) and Oh, God! (1977) and its sequels. Famous for his wry humour and his cigars, he continued performing into his late 90s.