George Burns
George Burns, originally named Nathan Birnbaum, was born on January 20, 1896 in New York City.
For over thirty years, George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, were a comedy duo, 'Burns and Allen'. Burns and Allen had married in 1926, and achieved great success in vaudeville, radio and the movies.
'Honolulu' (1939) was their last film together and the pair moved back to radio, and then in 1950 'The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show' started on CBS television. The show ran until 1958.
When Gracie Allen died in 1964, George Burns retired from show-business, however he returned to acting in the 1970s and won an Academy Award for his performance in 'The Sunshine Boys' in 1975.
George Burns died on March 9, 1996; aged 100.
A classic George Burns quote is: "Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy drivng taxi-cabs and cutting hair."