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' . He also worked tirelessly for UNICEF.
One of the original owners of the Seattle Mariners professional baseball team.
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.
Interred at Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, NY.
Toured Australia in the mid-50s as Cinderellas friend Buttons in a pantomime version of "Cinderella".
Died of hepatitis and internal bleeding, the result of a transfusion of contaminated blood during bypass heart surgery four years earlier.
Was the first choice of producers to star in the Broadway musical "The Music Man", but it was eventually given to Robert Preston.
Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1986.
According to daughter Dena Kaye , for the rest of his life, whenever someone would recognize him in public, they would run up to him and recite the "pellet with the poison... " speech from The Court Jester .
In 1953 received a Special Tony Award for heading a variety bill at the Palace Theater.
He had a passion for Chinese cooking and built a kitchen in his house. For years, he invited people (some of them celebrities like Shirley MacLaine , Michael Caine , Cary Grant , John Denver and Itzhak Perlman ) and would show them what his cooking genius was about. Qualified guests like French chef Paul Bocuse said they were amazed by his cooking ability.
He was Bob Hope s and Humphrey Bogarts favorite comedian.
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.
Served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.
Herbert Bonis was his manager for 35 years.
Biography in "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives," Volume Two, 1986-1990, pp. 472-475. New York: Scribner, 1999.
Originally considered for the leading role in It Should Happen to You .
On April 21,1954, he was appointed UNICEFs Ambassador at Large, and made a 40,000-mile good-will trip, which resulted in the short, Assignment Children.
The stage musical "The Kid from Brooklyn," which chronicled Kayes life, implied a tempestuous affair with his radio co-star Eve Arden.
While he was world-famous for his comic acting ability, his last film appearance, Skokie , 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 , starring Katharine Hepburn. Danny played in two other dramatic movies: Me and the Colonel and The Five Pennies.
He was a liberal Democrat who opposed the Hollywood blacklist.
He awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6125 Hollywood Blvd.; for Motion Pictures at 6563 Hollywood BLvd.; and for Radio at 6101 Hollywood Blvd.
Conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra at New Yorks Carnegie Hall for a benefit concert on March 10, 1958--with his feet.
Was considered by producer Hal B. Wallis for the lead role in Visit to a Small Planet at the same time with Alec Guinness and Jerry Lewis , the last one eventually getting the role.
In an article in "Look" magazine he related that once while flying over Kansas he correctly diagnosed a pain in his right side as appendicitis. He landed at the nearest airfield and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. He said he was told that a delay of even a half-hour might have resulted in the appendix rupturing.
Shirley MacLaine claims she had a fling with him, in her 2011 memoir "Im Over That And Other Confessions.".
Made his acting debut playing a watermelon seed in a school play at Brooklyns P.S. 149.
In 1942 was hospitalized for nervous exhaustion.
His trademark red hair was his natural color, but he was persuaded to dye it blond because it looked better that way in Technicolor. Studio mogul Samuel Goldwyn Jr. also had asked him to get his nose fixed so it would look less Jewish, but he refused.
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.
Held a commercial pilots certificate with the following ratings: Airplane Single and Multiengine Land & Instrument Airplane. In addition, he held type ratings to act as Pilot-in-Command of two small business class jets: The LR-Jet (Learjet 20 & 30 series)and the IA-Jet.
Producer Samuel Goldwyns wife Francis Howard would often travel to New York City scouting Broadway productions, looking for talent in both the productions 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!" Goldwyns studio press agent always insisted Kayes strawberry-blond hair was his natural hair color for, publicity purposes.
Mentioned in "Hail, Caesar!".
Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it.
I became an entertainer not because I wanted to but because I was meant,to.
Life is a blank canvas, and you need to throw all the paint on it you can.
Draw a circle, not a heart, around the one you love because a heart can break but a circle goes on forever.
Life is a great big canvas throw all the paint you can at it.
To travel is to take a journey into yourself. .
