Art Carney was an American actor with a lengthy career, primarily remembered for two iconic roles. In television, he played Ed Norton, the lovable and loyal municipal sewer worker in the influential sitcom "The Honeymooners" (1955-1956). In film, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of senior citizen Harry Coombes in the road movie "Harry and Tonto" (1974).
Born in 1918 in Mount Vernon, New York, to an Irish-American family, Carney was the youngest of six sons. He was educated at Mount Vernon High School and began his career as a singer with the orchestra of big band leader Horace Heidt in the 1930s. He had an uncredited cameo in the film adaptation "Pot o' Gold" (1941),which was his film debut.
Carney's career was interrupted when he was drafted for World War II service, during which he served as an infantryman and machine gun crewman and was wounded in the Invasion of Normandy (1944). Following the war, he appeared regularly on radio as a character actor and celebrity impersonator, imitating the voices of notable figures such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Dwight David Eisenhower.
Carney's breakthrough came when he was paired with fellow actor Jackie Gleason in the variety series "Cavalcade of Stars" (1949-1952),and later in the sitcom "The Honeymooners" (1955-1956),playing the lovable and loyal Ed Norton alongside Gleason's Ralph Kramden. The series only lasted for one season, but its depiction of the American working class was popular and influential.
Carney continued to work in television, starring in his own show "Art Carney Special" (1959-1961) and guest-starring in various series, including "The Twilight Zone" and "Batman". He also appeared in several films, including "The Great Santa Claus Switch" (1970) and "Harry and Tonto" (1974),for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In the 1970s, Carney's career experienced a resurgence, with notable roles in films such as "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" (1975),"The Late Show" (1977),and "House Calls" (1978). He continued to work in film throughout the 1980s, appearing in "Firestarter" (1984) and "The Muppets Take Manhattan" (1984).
Carney retired from acting in the late 1980s but emerged from retirement to play the supporting role of Frank Slater in "Last Action Hero" (1993). He died in 2003 at the age of 85, leaving behind a legacy as a beloved and talented actor.
