George Burns

He had a brief marriage with his co-performer Hannah Siegal that was conducted for purely professional reasons. The marriage was never consummated and the couple divorced within months of their so-called marriage.

He married Gracie Allen, his professional partner, in 1926. The couple adopted two children. They shared a loving marriage that lasted till Gracie’s death in 1964.

He died in 1996, a few weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday.

He was born as one of the twelve children of Louis and Dorah Birnbaum. His parents were Jewish immigrants to the U.S. His father was a cantor at the local synagogue.

His father died of influenza when the boy was just six or seven years of age. In order to support his family he took up odd jobs like shining shoes and selling newspapers.

He was once working at a candy shop with some other boys of a similar age. The boys used to sing harmony in the basement in order to entertain themselves. Often people would stop to hear the boys sing and gave them pennies. This inspired him to enter the show business.

He changed his name from Nathan Birnbaum to George Burns on his entry into the show business. He often used to perform dance routines or comedy which required him to partner with girls. In spite of having performed with several girls he never really clicked with anyone until he met Gracie Allen in 1923.

The two immediately struck a chord with the audience and began a long and successful professional partnership that would soon culminate in marriage. Their comedic routine had Gracie playing the ‘straight man’ while George delivered the punch lines.

The duo soon realized that it was Gracie who elicited more laughter and was more inclined towards comedy. The couple then reversed their roles with George playing the straight man and Gracie providing the punch lines.

Their new act was so hilarious that they became very popular and were sought after performers on the vaudeville. They were also highly consistent and dependable that they soon found a place at the Palace Theatre in New York.

Burns not only performed, but also wrote the early scripts which had the audiences rolling with laughter. He was a brilliant comedy writer though he received no credit for it at that time. He developed the entire concepts and dialogues for the characters played by him and Gracie.

He was a world-renowned comedian and actor whose career spanned over three fourth of a century. He was highly respected and much loved for being one of the few entertainers who had a successful career in not just vaudeville, but also in radio, television and films.