Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Duke Ellington(1899-1974)

  • Music Department
  • Actor
  • Composer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Duke Ellington C. 1930's
Trailer for The Savoy King
Play trailer2:24
The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America (2012)
2 Videos
24 Photos
Composer ("It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing", "Sophisticated Lady", "Mood Indigo", "Solitude", "In a Mellotone", "Satin Doll"), pianist and conductor, holder of an honorary music degree from Wilberforce University and an LHD from Milton College, Duke Ellington led his own orchestra by 1918, and came to New York in 1923, appearing at the Cotton Club between 1927 and 1932. Making his first European tour in 1933, he followed with his annual Carnegie Hall concerts between 1943 and 1950, and then a Middle East tour (under the auspices of the State Department), including an appearance at the International Fair in Damascus in 1963. His stage scores include "Jump for Joy" and "Beggars Holiday" (Broadway). He made many records.

Joining ASCAP in 1953, his chief musical collaborators included Billy Strayhorn, Irving Mills, Mitchell Parish, Mann Curtis, Barney Bigard, Henry Nemo , Bob Russell, Don George, Lee Gaines , Paul Francis Webster, Edgar De Lange, Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Juan Tizol and his own son, Mercer Ellington. His other popular song and instrumental compositions include "Blind Man's Buff", "Creole Love Call", "Black and Tan Fantasy", "I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart", "Rockin' in Rhythm", "Caravan", "Pyramid", "Creole Rhapsody", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good", "I'm Beginning to See the Light", "In a Sentimental Mood", "East St. Louis Toodle-oo", "Birmingham Breakdown", "Black Beauty", "Flaming Youth", "Awful Sad", "The Duke Steps Out", "Saturday Night Function", "Old Man Blues", "Ring Dem Bells", "Drop Me Off in Harlem", "Daybreak Express", "Delta Serenade", "Reminiscing in Tempo", "In a Jam", "Clarinet Lament", "Echoes of Harlem", "Dusk on the Desert", "Lost in Meditation", "Blue Reverie", "I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter", "Please Forgive Me", "Chatterbox", "Harmony in Harlem", "If You Were in My Place", "Skronch", "Braggin' in Brass", "Blue Light", "Buffet Flat", "The Gal from Joe's", "Subtle Lament", "Old King Dooji", "Boy Meets Horn", "Stevedore's Serenade", "You Gave Me the Gate and I'm Swinging", "Grievin'", "The Sergeant Was Shy", "Tootin' Through the Roof", "Rumpus in Richmond", "Jack the Bear", "Me and You", "Flaming Sword", "Harlem Air Shaft", "Bojangles", "Portrait of Bert Williams", "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" (Concerto for Cootie), "Kind of Moody" (Serenade to Sweden), "Morning Glory", "Blue Goose", "Cotton Tail", "Conga Brava", "Chocolate Shake", "Rocks in My Bed", "San Juan Hill", "Crescendo in Blue", "Diminuendo in Blue", "Dusk", "C Jam Blues", "Main Stem", "I Didn't Know About You", "Just a-Sittin' and a-Rockin'", "Jazz Convulsions", "I'm Just a Lucky So and So", "The Blues", "Come Sunday", "Magenta Haze", "Just Squeeze Me", "Happy-Go-Lucky Local", "Takle Love Easy", "Tomorrow Mountain", "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'", "Money Jungle", "Prelude to a Kiss", "Jump for Joy", "I'm Checking Out, Goom-Bye", "The Mooche", "Warm Valley", "Blue Serge", "I Wish I Was Back in My Baby's Arms", "Lament for a Lost Love", "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream", "Afro-Bosso", "In the Beginning, God" and "Christmas Surprise".
BornApril 29, 1899
DiedMay 24, 1974(75)
BornApril 29, 1899
DiedMay 24, 1974(75)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar
    • 14 wins & 13 nominations total

Photos24

View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
+ 16
View Poster

Known for

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Anatomy of a Murder
8.0
  • Music Department(piano, uncredited)
  • 1959
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix
8.7
  • Soundtrack("I'm Beginning to See the Light")
  • 1999
Tom Cruise in Minority Report (2002)
Minority Report
7.6
  • Soundtrack("Solitude")
  • 2002
Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharon Stone in Sphere (1998)
Sphere
6.1
  • Soundtrack("Don't Get Around Much Anymore")
  • 1998

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Music Department



  • Dani Nel·lo and Mery Cuesta in Spanish Noir (2023)
    Spanish Noir
    Podcast Series
    • perfomer: Anatomy of a murder
    • 2023
  • Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts Series
    Podcast Series
    • Music Department
    • 2023
  • Peter and the Wolf with Viola Davis and Dudamel
    Video
    • Music Department
    • 2021
  • Guard Duty Doggy
    Short
    • featuring the music of
    • 2021
  • Trilogie De Tragedie (2016)
    Trilogie De Tragedie
    3.6
    • musician
    • 2016
  • Gladys Knight: Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
    Music Video
    • Music Department
    • 2006
  • Nutcracker Sweeties (2006)
    Nutcracker Sweeties
    TV Movie
    • musical adaptation
    • 2006
  • Great Women Singers of the 20th Century: Chaka Khan (2005)
    Great Women Singers of the 20th Century: Chaka Khan
    7.0
    Video
    • music: arranged "Take The 'A' Train"
    • 2005
  • Johannesburg, 2nd Greatest City after Paris
    7.3
    Short
    • music
    • 1989
  • Say Brother
    TV Series
    • music
    • 1981
  • Raymond St. Jacques in Change of Mind (1969)
    Change of Mind
    6.2
    • conductor
    • 1969
  • Lamp Unto My Feet (1948)
    Lamp Unto My Feet
    7.4
    TV Series
    • music
    • 1962
  • The Asphalt Jungle (1961)
    The Asphalt Jungle
    7.9
    TV Series
    • composer: theme music
    • conductor
    • 1961
  • Paul Newman, Louis Armstrong, and Joanne Woodward in Paris Blues (1961)
    Paris Blues
    6.7
    • musician: piano (uncredited)
    • 1961
  • Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
    Anatomy of a Murder
    8.0
    • musician: piano (uncredited)
    • 1959

Actor



  • Jazzorama
    TV Series
    • Musician - Piano
    • 1965
  • Ed Sullivan in The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)
    The Ed Sullivan Show
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Pianist
    • 1961
  • Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
    Anatomy of a Murder
    8.0
    • Pie Eye (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • Kraft Theatre (1947)
    The United States Steel Hour
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Narrator
    • 1957
  • Teresa Brewer in Snader Telescriptions (1950)
    Snader Telescriptions
    TV Series
    • Conductor
    • 1950
  • Symphony in Swing
    Short
    • Duke Ellington
    • 1949
  • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    6.8
    Short
    • 1943
  • Cabin in the Sky (1943)
    Cabin in the Sky
    7.1
    • Duke Ellington (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Ann Miller in Reveille with Beverly (1943)
    Reveille with Beverly
    6.7
    • Duke - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (uncredited)
    • 1943
  • Bing Crosby, Brian Donlevy, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Carolyn Lee, and Mary Martin in Birth of the Blues (1941)
    Birth of the Blues
    6.3
    • Duke Ellington
    • 1941
  • Frances Langford and Phil Regan in The Hit Parade (1937)
    The Hit Parade
    6.6
    • Duke Ellington
    • 1937
  • Mae West in Belle of the Nineties (1934)
    Belle of the Nineties
    6.3
    • Piano Player
    • 1934
  • Gracie Allen, George Burns, and Guy Lombardo in Many Happy Returns (1934)
    Many Happy Returns
    6.0
    • Piano Player (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Murder at the Vanities (1934)
    Murder at the Vanities
    6.5
    • Duke Ellington
    • 1934
  • Duke Ellington in Black and Tan (1929)
    Black and Tan
    6.5
    Short
    • Duke Ellington
    • 1929

Composer



  • Talking Sticks (2016)
    Talking Sticks
    • Composer
    • 2016
  • An Honest Buck
    Short
    • Composer
    • 2013
  • Great Performances (1971)
    Great Performances
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 2000
  • Neder Manilla (1991)
    Neder Manilla
    TV Special
    • Composer
    • 1991
  • Raymond St. Jacques in Change of Mind (1969)
    Change of Mind
    6.2
    • Composer
    • 1969
  • NET Playhouse (1964)
    NET Playhouse
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Composer
    • 1967
  • Assault on a Queen (1966)
    Assault on a Queen
    5.6
    • Composer
    • 1966
  • Wer spielt mit?
    TV Special
    • Composer
    • 1964
  • Paul Newman, Louis Armstrong, and Joanne Woodward in Paris Blues (1961)
    Paris Blues
    6.7
    • Composer
    • 1961
  • Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
    Anatomy of a Murder
    8.0
    • Composer
    • 1959
  • Sonny Rollins Trio at Nalen, Stockholm 1959 (1959)
    Sonny Rollins Trio at Nalen, Stockholm 1959
    TV Special
    • Composer
    • 1959
  • A Smattering of Spots (1958)
    A Smattering of Spots
    Short
    • Composer (as D Ellington)
    • 1958
  • Holiday (1957)
    Holiday
    7.2
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1957
  • Daybreak Express (1953)
    Daybreak Express
    7.5
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1953
  • Salute to Duke Ellington
    6.8
    Short
    • Composer
    • 1950

Videos2

The Savoy King
Trailer 2:24
The Savoy King
Jazz
Trailer 5:15
Jazz
Jazz
Trailer 5:15
Jazz

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Estate of Duke Ellington c/o CMG Worldwide
  • Alternative name
    • D Ellington
  • Height
    • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • April 29, 1899
    • Washington, District of Columbia, USA
  • Died
    • May 24, 1974
    • New York City, New York, USA(metastasized lung cancer and pneumonia)
  • Spouse
    • Edna ThompsonJuly 2, 1918 - 1967 (her death, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Mercer Ellington
  • Parents
      James Edward Ellington
  • Relatives
      Ruth Ellington(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Works: "Black, Brown and Beige"; "Deep South Suite"; "New World A'Comin'"; "Sepia Panorama"; "A Drum Is a Woman"; "Harlem" (NBC commission); "Suite Thursday"; "Liberian Suite" (Liberian government commission); "Such Sweet Thunder"; "Shakespearean Suite"; "My People" (Century Negro Progress Exhibition, 1963); "Night Creatures"; "Non-Violent Integration"; and "Far Eastern Suite".
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Biographical Movies
    • 8 Print Biographies
    • 2 Portrayals
    • 1 Interview
    • 7 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Ellington was celebrated in Stevie Wonder's song "Sir Duke" (from "Songs in the Key of Life" (1976)).
  • Quotes
    I'm a telephone freak, the greatest invention since peanut brittle.
  • Trademark
      Ragtime-inspired piano melodies
  • Nickname
    • Sir Duke

FAQ16

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Duke Ellington die?
  • How did Duke Ellington die?
  • How old was Duke Ellington when he died?

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.