Louis Armstrong
- Birthday
- Aug 4, 1901
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Bio: The life story of African American jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong could fill a dozen books, and in fact it has. Rising to fame with his own "Hot Five" group in the 1920s, "Satchmo" Armstrong (the nickname is derived from "Satchelmouth"; incidentally, he was known to his closest friends as "Pops") was a seasoned pro when movies began demanding his services in 1930.… More Bio: The life story of African American jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong could fill a dozen books, and in fact it has. Rising to fame with his own "Hot Five" group in the 1920s, "Satchmo" Armstrong (the nickname is derived from "Satchelmouth"; incidentally, he was known to his closest friends as "Pops") was a seasoned pro when movies began demanding his services in 1930. His earliest film appearances-- notably the Betty Boop cartoon (!) I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You (32)--exemplified the "dangerous," sexually suggestive Armstrong who had become famous in nightclubs and on 78 RPM records. The racial barriers of 1930s Hollywood required Armstrong to smooth out his rough edges and sometimes to come in through the servant's entrance; in 1938's Going Places, for example, he appears as a stableboy, and introduces the lively but comparatively antiseptic ditty "Jeepers Creepers." Armstrong was serendipitously teamed with Bing Crosby on two memorable occasions: the 1936 musical drama Pennies From Heaven and the 1956 tune-filled remake of Philadelphia Story, High Society. Usually cast as himself (or a thinly disguised facsimile), Louis was given a rare chance to act in the 1943 all-black MGM musical Cabin in the Sky, playing the heavenly emissary "The Trumpeter." In 1964, Louis Armstrong scored so huge a hit with his recording of the title tune from the Broadway musical Hello Dolly that he was arbitrarily written into the 1969 film version, sharing a few precious on-screen moments with Barbra Streisand; it was the last of his 25 feature-film appearances. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Filmography
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The Great Crooners (2008)
- Actor
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Louis Armstrong - Greatest Performances (2008)
- Actor
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Big Time Swing (2008)
- Actor
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Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show (2007)
- Actor
- See all 78 films
Louis Armstrong Videos
High Society
1 minutes 26 seconds
Masters Of American Music: Bluesland A Portrait In American Music
2 minutes 16 seconds
The Five Pennies
1 minutes 1 seconds
Born Today
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- Maggie Q (34 years old)
- Naomi Campbell (43 years old)
- Michael Constantine (86 years old)
- Brooke Smith (46 years old)
- Sean Gunn (39 years old)
- Karoline Herfurth (29 years old)
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- Michael Kelly (44 years old)
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas (40 years old)
- Annabel Chong (41 years old)
- Gary Sweet (56 years old)
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- Richard Benjamin (75 years old)
- Mark Christopher Lawrence (49 years old)
- Anna Belknap (41 years old)
- Jadakiss (38 years old)
- Alison Eastwood (41 years old)
- Susan Strasberg (75 years old)
- Hideaki Anno (53 years old)
- Tom Chambers (36 years old)
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