A remembrance of Charles Durning: Just beneath the surface

In 1985 I began working with producer Joseph Papp on "Free for All," an oral history of the celebrated New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater. I ended up interviewing more than 160 individuals, including actors known for their powerful personalities, like James Earl Jones, Tommy Lee Jones and George C. Scott. But no one I talked to made more of an impression than Charles Durning.

By Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic

December 29, 2012