Danny Kaye

Danny Kaye (January 18, 1913 - March 3, 1987) was an American actor and comedian.

Born in Brooklyn as red-haired David Daniel Kaminski, Kaye became one of the world's best-known comedians by starring in films like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, White Christmas, Hans Christian Andersen, The Court Jester and The Inspector General. In many of his movies as well as on stage he proved to be an able actor, singer, dancer and comedian, often having his comedic talents showcased by special material written by his wife, Sylvia Fine Kaye. He showed quite a different and serious side as Ambassador for UNICEF, and in one of his few dramatic roles in the memorable TV-movie Skokie, in which he played a Holocaust survivor. Before he died in 1987 he also showed he could conduct an orchestra during a comical, but technically sound series of concerts organised for Unicef fundraising.

Joan Plowright, widow of the actor Laurence Olivier, claimed that Olivier had a long homosexual relationship with Kaye while Olivier was still married to his second wife, Vivien Leigh.

Kaye starred in two biopics, Hans Christian Andersen about the Danish story-teller, and The Five Pennies, about jazz pioneer Red Nichols.

Kaye made his film debut in a short comedy which is very rare called Money On Your Life.

Danny Kaye is interred in the Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York.