Danny Kaye was an American actor, singer, dancer, comedian, musician, and philanthropist. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. He starred in 17 movies, notably Wonder Man, The Kid from Brooklyn, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Inspector General, Hans Christian Andersen, White Christmas, and The Court Jester. He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF in 1954.
About Danny Kaye in brief
Danny Kaye was an American actor, singer, dancer, comedian, musician, and philanthropist. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. He starred in 17 movies, notably Wonder Man, The Kid from Brooklyn, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Inspector General, Hans Christian Andersen, White Christmas, and The Court Jester. He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF in 1954 and received the French Legion of Honour in 1986 for his years of work with the organization. Kaye’s first break came in 1933 when he joined the Three Terpsichoreans, a vaudeville dance act. In 1939, Kaye met the same dentist’s daughter, Sylvia Fine, at an audition, and in 1940 they eloped. He learned his trade in his teenage years in the Catskills as a tummler in the Borscht Belt. The experience of trying to entertain audiences who did not speak English inspired him to do the pantomime gestures, songs, and facial expressions that eventually made his reputation. He wanted to be a surgeon, but the family could not afford a medical education. His mother died when he was in his early teens, and his father did not pressure him to return to school or work, giving his son the chance to mature and discover his own abilities. His interest in cooking began on the tour, and he learned to cook from his father.
He died of a heart attack at the age of 80. He is survived by his daughter, Dena, and son-in-law, David Kaminsky, a former New York City real estate developer. He had a son, David Daniel Kaminsky Jr., with whom he had a daughter, Dina, and a grandson, David Michael Kaminsky. He also had three step-daughters, Daphne, who died in a car crash, and Dina’s sister, Darlene, who was killed in a plane crash. He leaves behind a wife and four children. He has eight grandchildren and six step-great-grandchildren. His last will and testament was published in 2009, and was buried in New Jersey. He never had any children of his own, but he had two step-granddaughters and one great-granddaughter. His great-nephew, Robert Kaye, is a former U.S. senator from New Jersey and served as the chairman of the New Jersey Board of Regents University’s Board of Trustees. In his last years, he lived with his wife and two children in New York, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York and New England, New Hampshire. He lived in a retirement home in New Haven, New England. He wrote and directed a series of two-reel comedies under the name Danny Kolbin. His next venture was a short-lived Broadway show called Allyson Allyson, June June Allyson and Imogene Coca.
You want to know more about Danny Kaye?
This page is based on the article Danny Kaye published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 06, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
