Burl Ives

actor, singer, writer
Born: 6/14/1909
Birthplace: Hunt City Township, Illinois

The beloved folk singer of such children's classics as “I Know an Old Lady (Who Swallowed A Fly),” Burl Ives spent the 1930s traveling the United States in search of musical material, journeys he recalled in his memoirWayfaring Stranger(1940). Ives first beguiled New York theatergoers inI Married an Angel(1938) and went on to make Broadway history, originating roles such as Big Daddy inCat on a Hot Tin Roof.In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared in numerous movies, earning anAcademy Awardfor his performance as Rufus Hannassey inThe Big Country(1958).

Died: 4/14/1995