Danny Thomas, American actor, producer, and humanitarian (b. 1914)
Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist whose career spanned five decades. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running situation comedies in the history of American network television, the Danny Thomas Show. In addition to guest roles on many of the comedy, talk, and musical variety programs of his time, his legacy includes a lifelong dedication to fundraising for charity. Most notably, he was the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, a leading center in pediatric medicine with a focus on pediatric cancer. St. Jude's now has affiliate hospitals in eight other American cities as of early 2020.
Already a successful entertainer, Thomas began his film career in 1947, playing opposite child actress Margaret O'Brien in The Unfinished Dance (1947) and Big City (1948). He then starred in the long-running television sitcom Make Room for Daddy (later, The Danny Thomas Show from the fourth season onwards) from 1953 to 1964, in which he played the lead role of Danny Williams. He was the father of Marlo Thomas, Terre Thomas, and Tony Thomas.