Duke Ellington
AKA Edward Kennedy Ellington
Born: 29-Apr-1899
Birthplace: Washington, DC
Died: 24-May-1974
Location of death: New York City
Cause of death: unspecified
Remains: Buried, Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Jazz Musician
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
Wrote It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing with Irving Mills.
Father: James Edward Ellington
Mother: Daisy Kennedy
Sister: Ruth Ellington Boatwright (younger sister, d. 6-Mar-2004 at age 88)
Wife: Edna Thompson (m. 2-Jul-1918, div., one son)
Son: Mercer Kennedy Ellington (b. 11-Mar-1919, d. 8-Feb-1996)
Wife: Mildred Dixon (separated)
Girlfriend: Beatrice Ellis ("Evie", cohabited as common-law wife)
High School: Armstrong High School (1917)
The Duke Ellington Orchestra
Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame 1975
Pulitzer Prize 1999 (special citation)
Presidential Medal of Freedom 1969
French Legion of Honor 1973
Spingarn Medal 1959
Grammy 1959 for Anatomy of a Murder (soundtrack)
Grammy 1966 (lifetime achievement)
Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame 1978
Songwriters Hall of Fame 1971
Hollywood Walk of Fame 6535 Hollywood Blvd. (recording)
Hernia Operation (1-Jul-1938)
Died Intestate
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Cabin in the Sky (9-Apr-1943) · Himself
Reveille with Beverly (4-Feb-1943)
Belle of the Nineties (21-Sep-1934)
Murder at the Vanities (18-May-1934) · Himself
Check and Double Check (3-Oct-1930) · Himself
Appears on postage stamps:
USA, Scott #2211 (22 cents, issued 29-Apr-1986)
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