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Things You Didn’t Know About Charles Durning
I remember him for his comedic roles.
I recently wrote about one of my favorite movies of all time, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” I mentioned that everybody associated with the project was outstanding. And, of course, Charles Durning is included in that statement. Durning was great as Mississippi governor, Pappy O'Daniel.
In that movie I noticed that not only was Durning funny, but he was also surprisingly light on his feet. Durning’s agility was on display when he busted out some dances moves in a scene with “The Soggy Bottom Boys.” It was another great scene in a movie full of them.
I also enjoyed him in the underrated TV series, Evening Shade. After that I did a little deeper dive into Durning’s life and career. Here are some things you didn’t know about Charles Durning.
1: Charles was drafted at the age of 20 during World War II.
He saw a lot of action and was wounded on more than one occasion, receiving numerous medals. He was discharged at the rank of private first class. Based on the amount of action he saw and medals he received, I would have thought he would have had a higher rank.
