Charles Durning

Durning received Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982 and for To Be or Not to Be in 1983. He was best known for his portrayal of The Tin Man (and farmworker Hickory) in The Wizard of Oz. More recently he has played a benevolent father to Holly Hunter in Home for the Holidays (1995), and a savvy southern state governor ("Pappy" O'Daniel) in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Jack Haley (August 10, 1898 - June 6, 1979) was an American film actor. In Tootsie he played a suitor to a cross-dressing Dustin Hoffman, and worked again with Hoffman in a 1985 TV production of Death of a Salesman. Since then he has amassed over 100 film and TV credits, including Dog Day Afternoon (with Al Pacino), the sci-fi classic The Final Countdown, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

One of Durning's best-known roles is the crooked bunco cop Lieutennant Snyder who doggedly pursues the young con artist Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) in the 1973 classic The Sting. He has since performed in some 32 plays, including the Tony Award-winning That Championship Season. While working as a ballroom dance instructor (he had some training in classical dance) he was noticed and cast in the New York Shakespeare Festival. After the war, Durning worked various jobs.

He has said he still suffers from nightmares about his war experiences. Durning is well-known for participating in various functions to honor American veterans. He also participated in the Normandy Invasion. One of his injuries took place in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was one of the few to survive an attack on American POWs.

Army Ranger in World War II, during which he was awarded a Silver Star and three Purple Heart medals. Durning served as a U.S. An eminent character actor, Durning is known for his versatility and for sometimes outperforming the main actors in his films. Charles Durning (born February 28, 1923) is an American actor of stage and screen.