(MUCH of the below taken from a 1994 article in the Washington Post.)
One of my favorite, all time, roles by an actor, actress - was Charles Durning as "The Governor" in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." Fun, funny, damn talented.
Life, to me anyways, is all about "Wow, I didn't know that."
Durning was born in 1923 in Highland Falls, NY. His father was an immigrant from Ireland who joined the Army in order to obtain citizenship - he did so, but, he also lost a leg in World War I and, his life, in 1935 when Durning was 12. His mother was of Irish descent as well.
Charles was the only survivor of a Unit that landed on Omaha Beach, D Day, June 6, 1944. During the invasion, Durning, age 17, suffered serious machine gun wounds to his leg, and shrapnel wounds to his body. Later, he was stabbed eight times by a bayonet-wielding German teenager. He managed to fight him off with a rock.
A few months after that, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of the Bulge, survived a massacre of other prisoners, then had to return to help identify the bodies. A bullet in the chest finally ended his wartime duty.
Durning endured four years of hospitalizations for his physical and psychological wounds. "I'd like to have a decade of my life back," he said. "I dropped into a void for almost a decade. It's your mind that's hard to heal. There are many horrifying secrets in the depths of our souls that we don't want anyone to know about.
70,000 men went ashore that day in Normandy, 15,000 of them to their death. On the 50th anniversary of that day - Durning agreed to read a letter on a Discovery documentary that a 22 year old paratrooper had written,. He choked up as he read, and he'd asked film makers in advance if he could 'face forward' so as not to see the videos of war showing behind him.
"We didn't get an actor, we got a Normandy veteran who happens to be an actor, and that was precisely what the film called for," said Chris Koch.
Durning and Chris Koch talked for several hours beforehand about Durning's experiences. "He said, 'You know, everybody who was there is in some state of denial. There are things I'll take to my grave.'"
In the course of his life, Durning appeared in over 200 movies, TV shows and plays.
For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Additional awards included the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device and two bronze service stars, and, the World Ward II Medal. Victory . His badges included the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge with Rifle Bar and Honorable Service Pin.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetary.
With all of the above, it was impossible for Charles Durning to dance a little sidestep in his mind of the events. Geez Louise, thank your Charles Durning, we are so lucky to live where we live, and be free like we are, thanks in large part to folks like yourself and so many, many others.
Vic Schultze
