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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.
Awards & recognition
- Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards · 1999
- Songwriters Hall of Fame · 1971
- Presidential Medal of Freedom · 1969
- Grammy Trustees Award · 1968
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award · 1966
Show all 10 awards →
- Spingarn Medal · 1959
- German Film Award — best original music · 1957
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Academy Award — Best Original Musical Score · 1962 · nominated
Filmography19 titles

Jazz Ball
1956as Self (archive footage)
1956as Self (archive footage)

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
2024as Self (archive footage)
2024as Self (archive footage)

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
2019as Self - Musician (archive footage)
2019as Self - Musician (archive footage)

Anatomy of a Murder
1959as Pie Eye (uncredited)
1959as Pie Eye (uncredited)

Moments without Proper Names
1987as Self (archive footage)
1987as Self (archive footage)

Jazz
2001as Self (archive footage)
2001as Self (archive footage)

What's My Line?
1950as Self
1950as Self

The Dick Cavett Show
1968as Self - Guest
1968as Self - Guest

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948as Self
1948as Self

Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
1935as Self
1935as Self

Paris Blues
1961Original Music Composer
1961Original Music Composer

The Vampire
1945Music
1945Music

Cabin in the Sky
1943as Duke Ellington (uncredited)
1943as Duke Ellington (uncredited)

The Apollo
2019as Self (archive footage)
2019as Self (archive footage)

Black and Tan
1929as Duke Ellington
1929as Duke Ellington

Belle of the Nineties
1934as Piano Player
1934as Piano Player

A Bundle of Blues
1933as Self
1933as Self

Assault on a Queen
1966Original Music Composer
1966Original Music Composer

Check and Double Check
1930as Orchestra Leader
1930as Orchestra Leader