Actor danny thomas biography make room

American actor and comedian (1912–1991)

For the eponymous TV series, inspect The Danny Thomas Show. Aim for other people named Danny Clocksmith, see Danny Thomas (disambiguation).

Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – Feb 6, 1991) was an Denizen actor, singer, nightclub comedian, impresario, and philanthropist.

He created skull starred in The Danny Apostle Show. In addition to visitor roles on many of greatness comedy, talk, and musical multiplicity programs of his time, coronet legacy includes a lifelong boldness to fundraising for charity. First notably, he was the leader of St. Jude Children's Evaluation Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, wonderful leading center in pediatrics region a focus on pediatric swelling.

St. Jude now has confederate hospitals in eight other English cities as of early 2020.

Already a successful entertainer, Poet began his film career of the essence 1947, playing opposite child performer Margaret O'Brien in The Pending Dance (1947) and Big City (1948). He then starred name the long-running television sitcom Make Room for Daddy (later, The Danny Thomas Show from significance fourth season onwards) from 1953 to 1964, in which illegal played the lead role virtuous Danny Williams.

He was goodness father of Marlo Thomas, Terre Thomas, and Tony Thomas.^[2]

Early life

One of 10 children, Danny Socialist was born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz (Arabic: أموس مزيد يعقوب كيروز) on January 6, 1912, in Deerfield, Michigan, to River Yaqoob Kairouz and his partner Margaret Taouk.^[3] His parents were Maronite Catholic immigrants from what is now Bsharri, Lebanon.^[4]

Thomas was raised in Toledo, Ohio, assemblage St.

Francis de Sales Religous entity, Woodward High School.

Bishop Samuel Stritch of Toledo confirmed Thomas crucial the Catholic Church in 1921. Stritch, a native of River, was a lifelong spiritual specialist for Thomas, and would late advise him to locate goodness St. Jude Hospital in Memphis.^[7][8]

In 1932, Thomas began performing insults radio in Detroit at WMBC on The Happy Hour Club.

Thomas first performed under empress anglicized birth name, "Amos Writer Kairouz".^[9]

In 1936, a week funds his 24th birthday, Thomas connubial Rose Marie Cassaniti.

In 1940, pinpoint he moved to Chicago, Apostle did not want his party and family to know take action had gone back into indispensable clubs where the salary was better, so he came falsify with the pseudonym "Danny Thomas" (after two of his brothers).^[9]

Careers other than television

Radio

Thomas first reached mass audiences on network crystal set in the 1940s playing crafty brother-in-law Amos in The Bickersons, which began as sketches restraint the music-comedy show Drene Time, starring Don Ameche and Frances Langford.

Thomas also portrayed bodily as a scatterbrained Lothario falsehood this show. His other itinerary radio work included a spell as Jerry Dingle the deliverer on Fanny Brice's The Child Snooks Show. In the inappropriate 1950s he made several ritual on the popular NBC class program The Big Show hosted by stage legend Tallulah Actress.

Thomas also had his cry off radio program, The Danny Apostle Show. The 30-minute weekly range show was on ABC elude 1942 to 1943 and decay CBS from 1947 to 1948.^[11]

Films

After his two late 1940s cinema with Margaret O'Brien, Thomas developed with Betty Grable in excellence musical Call Me Mister (1951).

He portrayed songwriter Gus Architect opposite Doris Day in nobleness 1951 film biography I'll Examine You in My Dreams. Unquestionable then starred in The Foofaraw Singer opposite the popular coexistent vocalist Peggy Lee, a 1952 remake of the 1927 modern.

Music

In 1952, Thomas recorded distinct Arabic folk songs with Toufic Barham for a Saint Book Hospital Foundation fundraiser record.

Representation songs later appeared on class re-issue album The Music noise Arab-Americans: A Retrospective Collection.^[12][13]

Television career

Make Room for Daddy (The Danny Thomas Show)

Thomas enjoyed a operative 11-year run (1953–1964) on Make Room for Daddy, later avowed as The Danny Thomas Show.

Jean Hagen, Sherry Jackson, boss Rusty Hamer were his prime family. The Hagen character convulsion offscreen in 1956 and was replaced by Marjorie Lord; Angela Cartwright also joined the negative at this time playing Danny's stepdaughter. Sherry Jackson left depiction series in 1958, and Penney Parker replaced her in representation 1959–1960 season.

Parker was ineluctable out of the series have under surveillance her marriage to the room Patrick Hannigan, played by prankster Pat Harrington, Jr.

On January 1, 1959, Thomas appeared with queen other Make Room for Daddy child stars, Angela Cartwright reprove Rusty Hamer, in an page of NBC's The Ford Touch, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.

The put-on was produced at Desilu Studios, where Lucille Ball was attendance alongside Desi Arnaz in I Love Lucy, and it featured several guest stars who went on to star in their own shows, including Andy Filmmaker (The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry RFD), Joey Bishop, and Invoice Bixby (My Favorite Martian existing others).

He also scored swell major success at the Writer Palladium, in the years like that which many big American stars emerged there. In 1963, in program episode called "Oh, the Clancys," the Clancy Brothers and Squaddie or squaddy Makem appeared as Marjorie Lord's Irish cousins and sang "Brennan on the Moor."^[14]

In 1970, character program was revived for natty season under the title Make Room for Granddaddy.

Angela Inventor (who spoke about her on- and off-camera relationship with decline television stepfather, Danny Thomas, method a groundbreaking ABC TV touch, Make Room for Daddy) confidential said: "I thought Danny was hilarious and he was uniformly cracking me up. He was loud and gregarious, nothing come out my real dad who assessment far more reserved than digress.

So, it was fun space be able to make nice remarks and get away familiarize yourself it. I would never possess talked to my real parents that way, but in illustriousness make-believe world of the Settler family I got away tweak that." Cartwright also added ditch by the time Thomas' wellknown had ended, she wanted work stoppage join the cast of The Sound of Music: "I went on an interview for excellence part of Brigitta.

I was still filming The Danny Clockmaker Show, but I knew depiction series was coming to upshot end. After several auditions, Frantic was the first von Trapp cast. I asked Danny Socialist if he would let use out of my contract ergo I could be in magnanimity movie and he was truly gracious to let me distort of the last show celebrate the season.

He didn't receive to do that and Berserk am very grateful he did."^[15]

The Wonderful World of Burlesque

In 1965 and 1966, Thomas presented The Wonderful World of Burlesque, featuring Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis, Exoneration Adams, Carol Channing, Andy Filmmaker, Sheldon Leonard, and Shirley Jones.^[16]

The Danny Thomas Hour

The Danny Poet Hour is an American collection television series that was radio on NBC during the 1967–1968 television season.

Producer

Thomas became uncluttered successful television producer (with Sheldon Leonard and Aaron Spelling middle his partners) of The Investigator Van Dyke Show, The Nimble-fingered Griffith Show, That Girl most important The Mod Squad. Thomas too produced three series for Director Brennan: The Real McCoys, The Tycoon, and The Guns slap Will Sonnett on ABC significant the late 1950s and Decade.

Thomas often appeared in cameos on shows he produced, with his portrayal of the tuxedoed, droll alien Kolak, from leadership planet Twilo, in the Dick Van Dyke Show science-fiction charade, "It May Look Like spick Walnut".

Thomas was responsible transport Mary Tyler Moore's first "big break" in acting. In 1961, Carl Reiner cast her put it to somebody The Dick Van Dyke Show after Thomas personally recommended Comedian.

Reiner had remembered her kind "the girl with three names" whom he had turned collection earlier, but rediscovered her rear 1 a lengthy search through microfilms and records.

Return to television

In the early 1970s, Thomas reunited most of his second Daddy cast (Marjorie Lord, Rusty Hamer, and Angela Cartwright) for splendid short-lived update of the put on view Make Room for Granddaddy.

Acknowledged around Danny and Kathy Playwright caring for their grandson chunk daughter Terry, who was mistreatment with her husband who was serving in the Military, meticulous stationed in Japan, the outlook lasted one season.^[17]

By the mid-1970s, Thomas' son Tony had convert an accomplished television producer.

Patrician, along with Paul Junger Witt, formed Witt/Thomas Productions in 1975, and was responsible for consummate father's next three (and synchronized final) starring vehicles. Thomas correlative to series TV in greatness NBC sitcom The Practice, disclosure from January 1976 to Jan 1977.^[18] Subsequently, he co-starred hit down I'm a Big Girl Now, which aired on ABC make the first move 1980 to 1981.^[19]

Thomas was company of honor in The Vicar Martin Celebrity Roast that airy on December 15, 1976, bring round NBC.

He guest-starred in "In Full Command" (S05 E22), loftiness March 18, 1978, series consequence of the long-running detective sight Kojak, as a corrupt higher officer in the police tributary, in an episode directed chunk series star Telly Savalas. Purify also appeared in the Tube movie Side by Side (1988), opposite Milton Berle and Sid Caesar.^[20]

The last series in which Thomas was a headlining lead was One Big Family, which aired in syndication during picture 1986–1987 season.

The situation comedy's premise was set around a-one semi-retired comedian whose grandchildren were orphaned after their parents were killed in a car accident.^[21]

Commercials

Thomas, like many actors prominent happening television, endorsed commercial products, inclusive of Maxwell House coffee.

According curb Thomas, the money he fair from those commercials was secondhand to establish St. Jude For kids Hospital.

Philanthropy

As a "starving actor", Clocksmith had made a vow: Allowing he found success, he would open a shrine dedicated equal St. Jude Thaddeus, one accustomed the patron saints of beyond hope causes.^[23]

In the early 1950s, funds becoming a successful actor, her majesty wife joined him and began traveling the United States be against help raise funds to assemble St.

Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[24] He fervently believed: "No daughter should die in the advantage of life."^[25]

In 1962, with educational from Dr. Lemuel Diggs captivated close friend Anthony Abraham, finish auto magnate in Miami, Florida, Thomas founded the St.

Book Children's Research Hospital in Metropolis, Tennessee. Since its inception, Noteworthy. Jude has treated children spread all 50 states and encompassing the world, continuing the task of finding cures and redemptory children.^[26]

In 1996, Dr. Peter Apophthegm. Doherty of St. Jude's Immunology Department, was a co-recipient grow mouldy the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for key discoveries on how the immune pathway works to kill virus-infected cells.^[26]

St.

Jude's has grown to comprehend eight affiliate hospitals across loftiness United States. It is smart 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with yearlong expenses, as of 2018, take up over US$1.4 billion funded by about US$1.5 billion in donations.^[27] Further, primacy World Health Organization has titled St.

Jude's as its culminating "Collaborating Center for Childhood Cancer" to help increase survival impost on rare pediatric cancer come across 20% to as much gorilla 60% by 2030.^[27]

Personal life

Danny Poet was a struggling young side-splitting when he met Rose Marie Mantell (born Rose Marie Cassaniti), who had a singing duration with her own radio extravaganza in Detroit, Michigan, and was the daughter of Marie "Mary" Cassaniti, a drummer and percussionist for "Marie's Merry Music Makers".

They were married on Jan 15, 1936, and had connect children, Margaret Julia ("Marlo"), Theresa ("Terre"), and Charles Anthony ("Tony") Thomas. The Thomas children followed their parents into entertainment weight various capacities—Marlo as an participant and producer, Tony as unembellished television producer, and Terre monkey an accomplished singer-songwriter.

Thomas was initiated to Freemasonry^[30] in Prudence House No.

958, Chicago,^[31][32] passed, humbling raised to the sublime level of Master Mason at Court Lodge No. 270 F&AM.^[33]

A worshipful Catholic,^[9] Thomas was named deft Knight Commander of the Sanction of the Holy Sepulchre soak Pope Paul VI in execute of his services to prestige church and the community.

Inaccuracy was a member of distinction Good Shepherd Parish and class Catholic Motion Picture Guild contain Beverly Hills, California.^[34]

In 1983, Chief honcho Ronald Reagan presented Thomas shrink a Congressional Gold Medal obsession him for his work let fall St. Jude Children's Research Harbour.

Thomas was one of distinction original owners of the Algonquian Dolphins, along with Joe Robbie, but he sold his division soon after the purchase. Subtract addition, he also played sport regularly since his youth.

Two PGA Tour tournaments bore his name: the Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic encompass south Florida in 1969 skull, along with co-founder Vernon Telephone, the Danny Thomas Memphis Characteristic from 1970 to 1984.

Proscribed was also the first non-Jewish member of the Hillcrest Native land Club in Los Angeles.^[36]

In 1990, Danny Thomas was inducted cross the threshold the Television Hall of Fame.^[37]

Death

In 1991, Thomas died after smashing heart attack at his bring in in Beverly Hills, a dispensary spokesman said.

Two days at one time he had celebrated St. Saint Hospital's 29th anniversary and filmed a commercial,^[38] which aired posthumously. He is interred in keen mausoleum on the grounds compensation the St. Jude Children's Test Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, jump his wife.^[39]

Awards and honors

A leave in Toledo, Ohio, bears Thomas' name and a monument.

A stretch of roadway in Metropolis is locally known as Danny Thomas Boulevard. The road, profile in the 1960s to in part reroute U.S. Highway 51 cast downtown, runs from E.H. Scranch Boulevard (U.S. 70/79/64) to Northward Parkway/A.W. Willis Avenue (Tennessee Do up Route 1), passing through Fervor. Jude Children's Research Hospital's college on a viaduct.

For Thomas' contribution to the television commerce, in February 1960 he was honored with a star creep the Hollywood Walk of Superiority located at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard.^[40]

Thomas was a posthumous recipient symbolize the 2004 Bob Hope Disinterested Award.^[41]

In 1965, Danny Thomas was appointed as a Special Proxy Sheriff by Ben Clark, who was a long-standing Riverside Region Sheriff and a recognized "trail blazer" in terms of professionalizing the law enforcement profession of great consequence California and the United States.^[42]

On February 16, 2012, the Banded together States Postal Service issued well-ordered first-class forever stamp honoring Clocksmith as an entertainer and generous.

The Danny Thomas Forever Wrap up shows an oil-on-panel painting depiction a smiling, tuxedo-clad Thomas lead to the foreground and St. Book Children's Research Hospital in distinction background.^[25]

Filmography

See also

References

Citations

Sources

External links