Born on November 4, 1918, in Mount Vernon, New York, Art Carney became beloved as Ed Norton, the eccentric sewer worker on The Honeymooners. Before television brought him fame, however, his entertainment career was interrupted by World War II. Drafted into the United States Army in 1943, he served as an infantryman and machine gun crewman with the 28th Infantry Division.
During the fighting in Normandy in 1944, Carney was wounded in the right leg by shrapnel. The injury left that leg shorter than the other and caused a lifelong limp. He received the Purple Heart for his wounds—a lasting reminder that behind the familiar comic performer stood a wounded veteran.
After the war, Carney returned to entertainment, building a career that extended beyond comedy. His performance in Harry and Tonto (1974) earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1975.
This 1958 photograph shows him surrounded by marionettes from the television special Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf. It captures another side of the versatile performer whose career encompassed television comedy, children’s entertainment, and award-winning film acting.
