Duke Ellington

Personal Info

Birthday

April 29, 1899

Day of Death

1974-05-24

(75 years old)

Place of Birth

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Also Known As

Edward Kennedy Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington

Duke Ellington

Biography

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

Known For

Anatomy of a Murder

Cabin in the Sky

The Hit Parade

Check and Double Check

Reveille with Beverly

Many Happy Returns

Belle of the Nineties

Murder at the Vanities

Filmography

2024
I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story
as Self (archive footage)
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
as Self (archive footage)
Steve e il Duca
as Self (archival)
2022
Charlie Parker: Bird Songs
as Self (archive footage)
2021
Duke Ellington in Isfahan
as Self (archive footage)
2019
The Apollo
as Self (archive footage)
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
as Self - Musician (archive footage)
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Live
as Himself
2018
The Jazz Ambassadors
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Jazz Legends in Their Own Words
as Self
Duke Ellington & Sarah Vaughan Live At The Berlin Philharmonic Hall 1989
as Self
2008
Jazz Evolution
as Self - Piano
2007
Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington Live in '58
as Self - Piano
Alice Babs - Swing It!
as Himself (archive footage)
2005
Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection
as Himself
Duke Ellington: The Big Band Feeling
as Self
2004
The Story Of The Blues
as Self
Improvisation
as Self
The Harlem Renaissance
as Self (archive footage)
2003
Duke Ellington: Live At The Tivoli Gardens
as Self
Piano Blues
as Self (archive footage)
The Intimate Duke Ellington
as Self
2002
It's Black Entertainment
as Self (archive footage)
2000
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1929-1943
as Self
1991
The Lou Rawls Show with Duke Ellington
as Self
1975
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
as Self (archive footage)
1974
On the Road with Duke Ellington
as Self
1967
Duke Ellington: Love You Madly
as Self
1966
Duke Ellington at the Côte d'Azur with Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Miro
as Self
The Strolling '20s
as Self
1959
Anatomy of a Murder
as Pie Eye (uncredited)
1956
Jazz Ball
as Self (archive footage)
1952
Solitude
as Self
Sophisticated Lady
as Self
Mood Indigo
as Self
1947
Date with Duke
as Self
1943
Cabin in the Sky
as Duke Ellington (uncredited)
Reveille with Beverly
as Duke - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (uncredited)
1942
Jam Session
as Self - Piano
Bli-Blip
as Himself
1941
Birth of the Blues
as Self (archive footage)
Hot Chocolate
as Self (uncredited)
1937
The Hit Parade
as Duke Ellington
1935
Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
as Self
1934
Belle of the Nineties
as Piano Player
Many Happy Returns
as Piano Player (uncredited)
Murder at the Vanities
as Duke Ellington
1933
A Bundle of Blues
as Self
1930
Check and Double Check
as Orchestra Leader
1929
Black and Tan
as Duke Ellington