Paul Whiteman

Personal Info

Birthday

March 28, 1890

Day of Death

1967-12-29

(77 years old)

Place of Birth

Also Known As

The King of Jazz

Paul Samuel Whiteman

Paul Whiteman

Biography

Paul Whiteman began his musical career as a viola player for the San Francisco Symphony. He enlisted in the Navy during World War I, and his musical abilities resulted in the Navy putting him in charge of his own band.

After the war he moved to New York in 1920, where he recorded his first hit, Whispering/The Japanese Sandman. It sold more than two million copies, making Whiteman was an instant star. In 1924 he introduced the George Gershwin classic Rhapsody in Blue, which became the band's signature song.

Known For

King of Jazz

Hollywood Hotel

Rhapsody in Blue

Strike Up the Band

The Fabulous Dorseys

The Lambertville Story

Filmography

1950
The Golden Twenties
as Self (archive footage)
1949
The Lambertville Story
as Paul Whiteman
1947
The Fabulous Dorseys
as Paul Whiteman
1945
Rhapsody in Blue
as Paul Whiteman
1944
Atlantic City
as Himself
1941
Birth of the Blues
as Self (archive footage)
1940
Strike Up the Band
as Paul Whiteman
1938
Hollywood Hotel
as Producer at Callahan's Drive In (uncredited)
1935
Thanks a Million
as Himself - Bandleader
1933
I Know Everybody and Everybody's Racket
as Self / Orchestra Leader (as Paul Whiteman and Orchestra)
1930
My Pal Paul
as Himself
King of Jazz
as Paul Whiteman
The Voice of Hollywood No. 3
as Himself