Howard Keel, born Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1917 or 1919 – November 7, 2004) was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s.
Harry Keel was born in Gillespie, Illinois, to Navyman-turned-coalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Osterkamp Keel. (It is often stated that his birth name was Harold Leek; this was a mistake made by the MGM publicity department in the 1950s.)
Young Harry spent his childhood in pove...
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Howard Keel, born Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1917 or 1919 – November 7, 2004) was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s.
Harry Keel was born in Gillespie, Illinois, to Navyman-turned-coalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Osterkamp Keel. (It is often stated that his birth name was Harold Leek; this was a mistake made by the MGM publicity department in the 1950s.)
Young Harry spent his childhood in poverty. As a young boy in Gillespie one of his teachers, Miss Rosa Burke, noticed Harry wasn't eating any lunch. From that day forward, Miss Burke would pack two lunches,—one for herself and one for Harry. When Harry became famous and would perform near Gillespie, Miss Burke was always sent tickets to attend his performances.
After his father's death in 1930, he and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook High School at the age of 17 and took various odd jobs until finally settling at Douglas Aircraft Company, where he...
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