Danny Kaye was more than just a movie star, he was an entertainer. With talents that ranged from comedy, dancing, singing, musical composition, and an ability to recite complicated verse.

He, was the son of an immigrant Russian tailor. He dropped out of school at age 13, and found his first work in the entertainment business with a radio station in the Catskills. From there he began working the small theatres. By the 1930s he had built up enough of a following to began performing on his own - often with material written by his wife to be, Sylvia Fine.

It was his Broadway debut in "Straw Hat Revue" in 1939 that earned him real recognition.

On the strength of that, Danny married Sylvia Fine, (who went on to manage his career), and won over Broadway with his singing in "Lady in the Dark" (1940), in which he sang more than fifty names of Russian composers one after the other, in the tongue twisting song "Tchaikovsky."

In 1954 Danny Kaye began his association with the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which earned him a special Academy Award for his work.
He was also interested in sport and was one of the original owners of the Major League Baseball Seattle Mariners team, he was also a chef, and a pilot.

Danny died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California in 1987.

Danny Kaye Films