Kaye, Danny

orig. David Daniel Kaminski

(born Jan. 18, 1913, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died March 3, 1987, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. actor and comedian. He worked as a comic busboy in Catskills resorts from age 13 and later worked in vaudeville and nightclubs, developing his trademark pantomimes, rapid-fire nonsense songs, and physical antics. He was a success on Broadway in The Straw Hat Revue (1939) and Lady in the Dark (1940), in which he upstaged the legendary Gertrude Lawrence. His movie debut in Up in Arms (1944) was followed by starring roles in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Inspector General (1949), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), and White Christmas (1954). He starred on television in The Danny Kaye Show (1963–67). Much of his comedy material was written by his wife, Sylvia Fine. Kaye was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1955. He began his long association with UNICEF in 1953 and logged thousands of miles (frequently piloting his own plane) on behalf of the organization. He was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1982 and the French Legion of Honour in 1986.

Kaye, Danny (b. David Daniel Kominski) (1913–1987) comic actor; born in New York City. Dropping out of school at age 13, he began as a comic in the "Borscht Circuit" in the Catskills, then worked as a singer and dancer in nightclubs and vaudeville until he made his Broadway debut in 1939. With his genius for mimicry, controlled slapstick, and patter song delivery, he appeared in a series of successful films from Up in Arms (1944) through The Court Jester (1956), all concocted primarily as vehicles for his versatility. He continued to appear in movies through 1969, and he had a popular variety show on television (1963–67), but increasingly he gave his energies to charitable causes, especially as a fundraiser for UNICEF, and often by appearing as a mock guest conductor of symphony orchestras. He received a special Academy Award in 1954 for "his service… to the motion picture industry and the American people."