---
name: "Duke Ellington"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/duke-ellington"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "29 April 1899"
died: "24 May 1974"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T05:55:24.733607+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Duke Ellington

Composer. Born 29 April 1899 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Died 24 May 1974.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 29 April 1899, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- **Died:** 24 May 1974
- **Active:** 1959–1977
- **Also known as:** Edward Kennedy Ellington, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 87 (1), 1970s 70 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4030, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0254153/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/858

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Anatomy of a Murder*](https://film.one/film/anatomy-of-a-murder.md) (87)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Duke Ellington (born Edward Kennedy Ellington) was an American composer, pianist and bandleader. He led his jazz orchestra from 1923 until his death and composed the score, with Billy Strayhorn, for the 1959 film *Anatomy of a Murder*.

Ellington appears uncredited in the film as the character Pie Eye. He was born in Washington, D.C. on 29 April 1899 and died on 24 May 1974.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Turning Point* (1977), Fi1m 70, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/the-turning-point.md)
- *Anatomy of a Murder* (1959), Fi1m 87, as Pie Eye (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/anatomy-of-a-murder.md)

## Complete filmography (35)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Only the Dead Know Brooklyn* (2026), Music, Musician
- *Concerto Ellington-Marsalis* (2014), Music
- *So Long* (2012), Original Music Composer
- *The Bankbus* (2010), Music
- *Nutcracker Sweeties* (1997), Music
- *The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show (Vol. 1)* (1991), Actor
- *Sand Dance* (1988), Music
- *Misanthrope* (1987), Original Music Composer
- *Sophisticated Ladies* (1982), Musical
- *The War of the Infras* (1978), Music
- *The Turning Point* (1977), Music — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/the-turning-point.md)
- *On the Road with Duke Ellington* (1974), Music
- *Change of Mind* (1969), Original Music Composer
- *Assault on a Queen* (1966), Original Music Composer
- *Paris Blues* (1961), Original Music Composer
- *The Asphalt Jungle* (1961), series, Music
- *Anatomy of a Murder* (1959), as Pie Eye (uncredited) · Original Music Composer — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/anatomy-of-a-murder.md)
- *A Smattering of Spots* (1958), Music
- *Daybreak Express* (1957), Music
- *Salute to Duke Ellington* (1950), Actor
- *Symphony In Swing* (1949), Actor
- *The Vampire* (1945), Music
- *Cabin in the Sky* (1943), as Duke Ellington (uncredited) · Music
- *Reveille with Beverly* (1943), as Duke - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (uncredited)
- *Duke Ellington and His Orchestra* (1943), Actor
- *I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good* (1942), Actor
- *Flamingo* (1942), Actor
- *The Hit Parade* (1937), as Duke Ellington
- *Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life* (1935), Original Music Composer
- *Belle of the Nineties* (1934), as Piano Player
- *Many Happy Returns* (1934), as Piano Player (uncredited)
- *Murder at the Vanities* (1934), as Duke Ellington
- *Masks and Memories* (1934), as Songs
- *Check and Double Check* (1930), as Orchestra Leader
- *Black and Tan* (1929), as Duke Ellington

## Gallery

- ![Duke Ellington](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-b2555a4b6905.jpg) Duke Ellington — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Duke_Ellington_-_publicity.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Photo of Duke Ellington.](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-b5d96107ecc3.jpg) Photo of Duke Ellington. — Associated Booking (management), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Duke_Ellington_1964.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Photo of Duke Ellington.](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-b3f747c3fcfc.jpg) Photo of Duke Ellington. — Associated Booking Corporation (agent)/photographer-James Kriegsmann, New York., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Duke_Ellington_1966.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Duke Ellington in concert 1973 in Munich](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-447b6403b9b3.jpg) Duke Ellington in concert 1973 in Munich — Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Duke_Ellington_1.JPG/1280px-Duke_Ellington_1.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Duke Ellington](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-57256c8964ec.jpg) Duke Ellington — Image via TMDB
- ![Duke Ellington dans le film l'Aventure du jazz - Jazz Odyssey (1971)](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-3b197b457958.jpg) Duke Ellington dans le film l'Aventure du jazz - Jazz Odyssey (1971) — Louis Panassié, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Duke_Ellington_Aventure_du_Jazz.jpg/1280px-Duke_Ellington_Aventure_du_Jazz.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![За фартэпіяна Дзюк Элінгтан. Канцэрт у Мінскім палацы спорту](https://film.one/media/person/1239740/gallery-cc6bf3c788b6.jpg) За фартэпіяна Дзюк Элінгтан. Канцэрт у Мінскім палацы спорту — Bk1949, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Duke_Ellington_at_the_Minsk_Sports_Palace_01.jpg/1280px-Duke_Ellington_at_the_Minsk_Sports_Palace_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1962: Best Original Musical Score (nominated), for *Paris Blues*

### Other awards — 8 won

- Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards 1999: Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards (won)
- honorary doctor of the Berklee College of Music 1971: honorary doctor of the Berklee College of Music (won)
- Songwriters Hall of Fame 1971: Songwriters Hall of Fame (won)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom 1969: Presidential Medal of Freedom (won)
- Grammy Trustees Award 1968: Grammy Trustees Award (won)
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 1966: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (won)
- Spingarn Medal 1959: Spingarn Medal (won)
- German Film Award for best original music 1957: German Film Award for best original music (won), for *Jonas*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/duke-ellington