![]() ![]() He played the recurring role of a priest in the super hit CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. He worked with him in five of Reynolds’ films before starring in his TV series Evening Shade. Durning was a regular collaborator of actor-director Burt Reynolds. He collaborated with Pacino again in 2002 while performing the Brechtian play ‘ The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui’.ĭurning performed in many Broadway productions like Drat! The Cat! (1965), Knock Knock (1976), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1990), etc. In the former two films, he worked alongside the greatest of actors like Al Pacino and Burt Lancaster. He followed it up with diverse roles in Dog Day Afternoon, Twilight's Last Gleaming, Tootsie, When a Stranger Calls, etc. Snyder which earned him universal acclaim. Durning played the role of the badass cop Lt. Durning’s breakthrough role came in George Roy Hills’ Academy Award-winning film The Sting, which saw the director teaming up with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, after the success of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In the early 70s, he worked with acclaimed makers like John Frankenheimer and Brian de Palma, sharing screen space with legendary actors like Gregory Peck and a then relatively young Robert de Niro. In 1965, Durning made his film debut in Harvey Middleman, Fireman. Durning revealed later that it was the best time of his life, as he was kept busy appearing in 35 plays for the Shakespeare festival. He eventually got noticed by the founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp. In the initial years, Durning struggled to get a breakthrough and took up odd jobs to make his ends meet. He had a brief spell at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City but he was criticized and mocked by his mentors for his short, stout and burly frame. While working as an usher in a burlesque theatre, Durning used to fill in for inebriated comedians at times. Five years after the war was over, Durning decided to start a new chapter in his life. ![]()
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