Biography:

Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in 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 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.^[2]

Early life

One of 10 children, Danny Thomas was born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz (Arabic: أموس مزيد يعقوب كيروز) on January 6, 1912, in Deerfield, Michigan, to Charles Yaqoob Kairouz and his wife Margaret Taouk.^[3] His parents were Maronite Catholic immigrants from Bsharri, Lebanon.^[4] Thomas was raised in Toledo, Ohio, attending St. Francis de Sales Church, Woodward High School, and finally the University of Toledo, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.^[5] Bishop Samuel Stritch of Toledo confirmed Thomas in the Catholic Church. Stritch, a native of Tennessee, was a lifelong spiritual advisor for Thomas, and would later advise him to locate the St. Jude Hospital in Memphis.^[6][7] He married Rose Marie Cassaniti in 1936, a week after his 24th birthday.

In 1932, Thomas began performing on radio in Detroit at WMBC on The Happy Hour Club. Thomas first performed under his anglicized birth name, “Amos Jacobs Kairouz.” After he moved to Chicago in 1940, Thomas did not want his friends and family to know he went back into working clubs where the salary was better, so he came up with the pseudonym “Danny Thomas” (after two of his brothers).^[8]

Careers other than television

Radio

Thomas first reached mass audiences on network radio in the 1940s playing shifty brother-in-law Amos in The Bickersons, which began as sketches on the music-comedy show Drene Time, starring Don Ameche and Frances Langford. Thomas also portrayed himself as a scatterbrained Lothario on this show. His other network radio work included a stint as Jerry Dingle the postman on Fanny Brice‘s The Baby Snooks Show. In the early 1950s he made several appearances on the popular NBC variety program, The Big Show, hosted by stage legend Tallulah Bankhead.

Thomas also had his own radio program, The Danny Thomas Show. The 30-minute weekly variety show was on ABC from 1942 to 1943 and on CBS from 1947 to 1948.^[9]

Films

After his two late 1940s films with Margaret O’Brien, Thomas appeared with Betty Grable in the musical Call Me Mister (1951). He portrayed songwriter Gus Kahn opposite Doris Day in the 1951 film biography I’ll See You in My Dreams. He then starred in The Jazz Singer opposite the popular contemporary vocalist Peggy Lee, a 1952 remake of the 1927 original.

Music

In 1952, Thomas recorded several Arabic folk songs with Toufic Barham for a Saint Jude Hospital Foundation fundraiser record. The songs later appeared on the re-issue album The Music of Arab-Americans: A Retrospective Collection.^[10][11] From 1952 through 1974, Thomas also recorded a number of vocal albums on his own, as well as participating on other albums.^[12]

Credits: