Charles Durning, `king of character actors,' dies in NY
Source: AP via HuffPo
LOS ANGELES — Charles Durning, the two-time Oscar nominee who was dubbed the king of the character actors for his skill in playing everything from a Nazi colonel to the pope, died Monday at his home in New York City. He was 89.
Durning's longtime agent and friend Judith Moss told The Associated Press that he died Monday of natural causes in his home in the borough of Manhattan.
Although he portrayed everyone from blustery public officials to comic foils to put-upon everymen, Durning may be best remembered by movie audiences for his Oscar-nominated, over-the-top role as a comically corrupt governor in 1982's "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."
Many critics marveled that such a heavyset man could be so nimble in the film's show-stopping song-and-dance number, not realizing Durning had been a dance instructor early in his career. Indeed, he had met his first wife, Carol, when both worked at a dance studio.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121225/us-obit-durning/
A link to a list of his films, here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001164/
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Good night, brother, sleep well.
What a great actor. Him and Jack Klugman both. What a tough blow...
THAT speaks volumes about their professionalism and personal lives. Very rarely (if ever) did those 2 things meet.
Consummate professionals, both of them.
Charles Durning was the gold standard. When I choose movies to see in the theater, I always look at the supporting cast as my foremost criteria. THEY, far more than the stars, are what make the movies outstanding. Who'd think 'Pretty Woman' would have anywhere near the fans without Hector Elizondo? Tom Cruise, the most over-rated actor on the planet, owes his career to the supporting casts obtained by smart producers.
Charles Durning raised 'The Sting' at least one notch as the tenacious cop. As Jessica Lang's father and Dustin Hoffman's wannabe paramour, 'Tootsie' gained breadth and depth ... and more comedy gold.
He was the professional's professional. Reliable and collaborative, he made every actor with whom he worked better.
RIP, Mr. Durning.
