Duke Ellington
Date of birth: 1899-04-29
Place of birth: Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Edward Kennedy Ellington, Edward Kennedy "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.
Movie Credits
Anatomy of a Murder
1959-07-01
Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local in
Murder at the Vanities
1934-05-18
Shortly before the curtain goes up the first time at the latest performance of Earl Carroll's Vaniti
Belle of the Nineties
1934-09-21
Cabaret entertainer Ruby Carter shifts her operations to New Orleans and becomes exceedingly popular
Birth of the Blues
1941-11-07
Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts
Duke Ellington & Sarah Vaughan Live At The Berlin Philharmonic Hall 1989
2014-01-13
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra plus Sarah Vaughan & Her Trio live in Berlin. Featuring: Duke Ellingt
Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington Live in '58
2007-05-21
Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington features the earliest-known filmed full-length concert by one of the 20th
Black and Tan
1929-12-08
Duke Ellington plays hot jazz in a fictional story that finds him down on his luck; he tries in vain
Duke Ellington in Isfahan
2021-09-02
This short documentary by writer and archivist Ehsan Khoshbakht tells the story of Duke Ellington's
On the Road with Duke Ellington
1974-12-31
Documentary portrait of the legendary jazz bandleader. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in par
A Bundle of Blues
1933-01-31
Duke Ellington and his orchestra play two jazz compositions plus 'Stormy Weather' (sung by Ivy Ander
Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
1935-09-12
A rising nineteen-year-old singer by the name of Billie Holiday made her screen debut in this musica
The Hit Parade
1937-04-26
Agent Pete Garland is fired by society singer Monica Barrett after he got her a new radio contract,
Date with Duke
1947-10-30
Duke Ellington at the piano conducts a group of puppet perfume bottles playing his "Perfume Suite."
The Lou Rawls Show with Duke Ellington
1991-01-01
With a unique style that encompassed soul, jazz and pop, Lou Rawls established himself as one of the
Jam Session
1942-01-01
Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'.
Reveille with Beverly
1943-02-04
Beverly Ross, the switchboard operator at a local radio station, jumps at the chance to be the DJ fo
Bli-Blip
1942-01-01
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra perform "Bli-Blip" with Marie Bryant and Paul White
Mood Indigo
1952-02-03
Duke Ellington Orchestra performs "Mood Indigo" for Snader Telescriptions.
Sophisticated Lady
1952-02-03
Duke Ellington Orchestra performing "Sophisticated Lady" for Snader Telescriptions film.
Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection
2005-10-25
This remarkable DVD includes rare TV and film performances, an especially rare radio interview with
The Story Of The Blues
2004-06-30
The story of The Blues traces the four main traditions of blues music: Form Blues, Blues, Urban Blue
Steve e il Duca
2024-04-27
In 1999, on the occasion of the centenary of Ellington's birth, Franco Maresco commissioned Steve La
Alice Babs - Swing It!
2007-01-01
This documentary film features plenty of archival material, also showing Alice Babs from her private
The Harlem Renaissance
2004-01-01
Chronicling the Harlem Renaissance era, this retrospective documentary tracks the origins of the sou
Solitude
1952-06-01
Flamingo
1942-01-01
Restored film directed by Josef Berne, released in 1942
I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good
1942-01-01
1942 Short restored in true form
Symphony In Swing
1949-01-01
Restored film directed by Will Cowan in 1943
Salute to Duke Ellington
1950-01-01
Short directed by Will Cowan as tribute to Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
1943-01-01
Restored Film released in 1943, directed by Jay Bonafield
Improvisation
2004-01-01
Improvisational jazz performance filmed in 1950 by Gjon Mili plus Duke Ellington Trio filmed in July
Hot Chocolate
1941-02-20
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at their best along with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performing for this
The Strolling '20s
1966-02-04
Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier travel down memory lane to see what life was like back in the 192
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1929-1943
2000-01-01
Joined by the likes of saxophonist Ben Webster and trumpeter Cootie Williams, jazz giant Duke Elling
The Jazz Ambassadors
2018-05-04
The Cold War and Civil Rights collide in this remarkable story of music, diplomacy and race. Beginni
Jazz Evolution
2008-08-12
Jazz Ball
1956-01-01
A made-for-TV musical revue, compiled from soundies and film and TV performances by jazz greats from
Cabin in the Sky
1943-03-24
When compulsive gambler Little Joe Jackson dies in a drunken fight, he awakens in purgatory, where h
Duke Ellington: Live At The Tivoli Gardens
2003-11-11
Call him the Duke of Denmark, as this is the second superb Ellington performance recorded in that co
Piano Blues
2003-10-04
Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a
The Intimate Duke Ellington
2003-06-17
Duke Ellington's fifty year career was full of accomplishments as a highly original pianist, arrange
It's Black Entertainment
2002-02-08
A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Amer
Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
1975-04-19
Ossie Davis narrates a history of "race films," films made before 1950 which catered to a primarily
The Apollo
2019-04-24
The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.
Check and Double Check
1930-10-02
Amos and Andy trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a so
Duke Ellington: The Big Band Feeling
2005-04-19
This 1952 recording includes 2 performances of Duke and his Orchestra, one on Jan. 7, 1952 and one o
Many Happy Returns
1934-06-08
Gracie Allen assumes the "management" of the shop owned by her papa Horatio Allen, turning it into a
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
2019-02-25
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a
Charlie Parker: Bird Songs
2022-01-09
In 1955, on his report, a medical examiner wrote in the box: age, “about 53 years”. Charlie Parker n
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
2024-09-11
Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest epi
Duke Ellington: Love You Madly
1967-06-16
Profile of Duke Ellington featuring performances and interviews with the legendary bandleader. The p
Jazz Legends in Their Own Words
2014-05-24
A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from the gold
I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story
2024-09-12
An aspiring singer is tasked with promoting the music catalogue of his great-grandfather, the famous
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Live
2019-02-15
In this concert from his great European tour Duke gives a big band concert to be remembered in Bruss
Duke Ellington at the Côte d'Azur with Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Miro
1966-05-01
The rather dusty black-and-white footage, dating from the summer of 1966, opens with bikinis, beach
The First World Festival of Negro Arts
1966-01-01
"This documentary film covers a 24-day arts festival in Dakar, Senegal that highlighted Black contri
Duke Ellington Orchestra - Berliner Jazztage 1969
1969-11-08