Charles Durning net worth
What is Charles Durning’s Net Worth?
Charles Durning is an actor with over 200 credits in films, television shows and plays. Charles Durning had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death. He is best known for his roles in “Dog Day Afternoon”, “Stinger”, “Tootsie”, “Dick Tracy”, “Best Little Brothel in Texas” and “To Be or Not to Be” etc. performances in movies. The latter two earned him Oscar nominations. Before acting, Durning served in World War II.
Early life and military service
Charles Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York, in 1923, the son of James and Louise. He is of German, English and Irish descent and is Catholic. Durning was the ninth of ten children, five of whom died of smallpox and scarlet fever.
At the age of 20, Durning was drafted into the army during World War II. In June 1944, he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division of the first wave of U.S. troops that landed on Omaha Beach; he was the only survivor of his unit on D-Day. Later, after being wounded and six months of recovery, Denin was reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment of the 100th Infantry Division and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. In early 1946, he was discharged with the rank of First Class. For his bravery, Durning was awarded a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. Other honors include the U.S. Campaign Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal.
Beginning of an acting career
Durning began his acting career in 1951, when he was hired to replace a drunken actor who served as an usher at the Burlesque Theater. He then performed in about 50 stock company productions and several off-Broadway plays. Eventually, he caught the attention of theater producer Joseph Papp, who took Durning to perform at the New York Shakespeare Festival. During this period, Durning began to transition to film. After appearing as a U.S. GI in “The Password is Courage,” he had a supporting role in the comedy “Harvey Middleman, Fireman.” It was followed by “Las Vegas Dogfight,” Brian De Palma’s dark comedy “Hi, Mom!” and John Frankenheimer’s neo-noir “I Walk the Line,” directed by Grey Starring Gorry Pike and Tuesday Weld. Other early film credits include “The Pursuit of Happiness,” “Doomsday Voyage,” and another Brian de Palma film, “Sisters.”
1970s movie breakthrough
In 1972, director George Roy Hill was so impressed with Duning’s performance in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “That Championship Season” that he asked him to star in his next film, “Stinger.” Opposite Paul Newman and Robert Redford, Durning plays a bad cop who takes out professional con men. Stinger was a massive critical and commercial success, grossing nearly $160 million and winning seven Oscars, including best picture. Durning’s success continued throughout the rest of the 1970s. In 1974 he joined Billy Wilder’s “Front Page” large cast with Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthews, Susan Sarandon, Vincent Gardney Ya starred alongside David Wayne. The following year, Durning received credit for playing Sgt. Eugene Moretti in Sidney Lumet’s crime drama “Afternoon on Dog Days,” starring Al Pacino.
Durning’s subsequent credits in the ’70s included the western “Heartbreak Passage” with Charles Bronson; the disaster film “Hindenburg” starring George C. Scott; the period comedy “Harry and Walter to New York”; “The Chorus” by Robert Aldridge; “Fury” by Brian De Palma; and “Enemy of the People” by Steve McQueen. Durning starred in five films during the decade: “Tilt,” “Start Over,” “A Stranger Call,” “The Muppets,” and “North Dallas Forty.”
(Photo by Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
further film career
In the early ’80s, Duning starred in films such as Die Laughing, The Last Countdown, True Confession, Shark’s Machine, and Tootsie. Durning was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as governor in 1982’s “Best Little Brothel in Texas.” The following year, he was nominated again in the category for his role as Colonel Erhardt in the remake of the war comedy “To Be or Not To Be.” Duning’s other works in the ’80s include “Scarface”, “Two of its Kind”, “Crowd Appeal”, “Independence”, “Big Trouble”, “Tough Guy”, “Tiger Tale”, “Police” , “Far Away North” and “Cat Chaser”.
In the ’90s, Durning starred in films such as “Dick Tracy,” “Deadly Sky,” “Hardsack Agent,” “The Last Supper,” “Holiday Home,” “Beautiful Day,” and “Hi Life” and other movies. . His work in the 2000s included “Oh man, where are you?” , “The State and the Main,” “The Last Ride,” “River’s End,” “Harold the Unbeatable,” and “Shannon’s Rainbow.” Durning’s last two films, 2014’s “The Scavenger Killer” and 2015’s “Bleeding Heart” released posthumously.
TV business
During his career, Durning has been nominated for nine Emmys for his work on the small screen. One of his most acclaimed roles was as Dr. Harlan Eldridge on the 1990s Burt Reynolds sitcom “Night Shadows.” In the late ’90s, Durning was nominated for a cameo role in “Homicide: Street Life”. Other nominations came from his recurring role as Michael Gavin on “Save Me” and a cameo role as Corporal Ernie Yost on “NCIS.” Additionally, Durning was nominated for roles in the TV movies “Queen of the Ballroom,” “Attica,” and “Death of a Salesman.”
Duning’s other notable TV credits include the miniseries “Massachusetts Kennedy” and the TV movie “Water Machine.” He also had recurring roles on “Everybody Loves Raymond” and starred in the short-lived CBS legal drama “First Monday.”
personal life
In 1959, Durning married Carol Doughty; they had three children and divorced in 1972. Durning then married Mary Ann Amelio in 1974. The pair filed a formal separation statement in 2010.
On Christmas Eve 2012, Durning died of natural causes at his Manhattan home. He is 89 years old.
