Burl Ives Height, Weight, Age, Net Worth, Biography

Burl Ives Quick Info
Height	6 ft 0 in
Weight	122 kg
Date of Birth	June 14, 1909
Zodiac Sign	Gemini
Date of Death	April 14, 1995

Burl Ives was an American musician, singer, actor, and author who starred in popular films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Big Country (1958), East of Eden (1955), Our Man in Havana (1959), Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon (1967), The Spiral Road (1962), Day of the Outlaw (1959), Just You and Me, Kid (1979), etc. during his 60-year-long career. Additionally, his fame grew further with hit singles like Lavender Blue, A Holly Jolly Christmas, Blue Tail Fly, On Top of Old Smoky, The Wild Side of Life, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, to name a few.

Born Name

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives

Nick Name

Burl

Burl Ives as seen in the 1958 film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Trailer Screenshot / Wikimedia / Public Domain)

Age

He was born on June 14, 1909.

Died

On April 14, 1995, he passed away from oral cancer at the age of 85 years in Anacortes, Washington.

Sun Sign

Gemini

Born Place

Hunt City, Illinois, United States

Nationality

Occupation

Musician, Singer, Actor, Author

Net Worth

At the time of his death, Burl Ives’ net worth was $5 million according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.

Genre

Country Music, Blues, Folk, Christmas, Traditional Pop

Instruments

Vocals, Guitar, Banjo

Labels

Okeh Records
Asch Records
Columbia Records
Decca Records
United States Navy Band
Caedmon Records

Build

Average

Height

6 ft 0 in or 183 cm

Weight

122 kg or 269 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Burl Ives had dated –

Helen Peck Ehrlich (1945-1971) – The Summer Magic (1963) actor wed Helen Peck Ehrlich, a script writer, on December 6, 1945. The couple became parents to a son named Alexander in 1949. However, after staying together for more than 25 years, they got divorced in February 1971.

Dorothy Koster Paul (1971-1995) – Burl was married to the interior designer Dorothy Koster Paul from April 16, 1971, until his death on April 14, 1995. During their marriage, he was the stepfather of Dorothy’s 3 kids – Kevin Murphy, Barbara Vaughn, and Rob Grossman.

Burl Ives as seen in 1955 (Gamaliel at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia / Public Domain)

Race / Ethnicity

White

He had English, German, Scottish, Dutch, Irish, French Huguenot, and Cherokee Native American (1/64th) ancestry.

Hair Color

Dark Brown

However, his hair had turned ‘Gray’ by the time of his death.

Eye Color

Blue

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

He sported a goatee.
Voiced the character of Sam the Snowman in the television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Burl Ives as seen alongside Paul Newman in the 1958 film Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Trailer Screenshot / Wikimedia / Public Domain)

Burl Ives Facts

He served as the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of Hector Hammond, Green Lantern/Hal Jordan’s archenemesis. Actor Peter Sarsgaard played the super-villain in the film Green Lantern (2011), which starred Ryan Reynolds in the titular role.

Burl had participated in pro-Communist organizations in the 1930s and early 1940s. However, in order to secure his career prospects and avoid getting blacklisted, he willingly testified to the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1952 and named other possible communists, including his fellow folk singer Pete Seeger.

In June 1994, he was inducted into the DeMolay International Hall of Fame. Furthermore, he received the Order of Lincoln, the highest honor in the state of Illinois, in 1976.

His most recognizable single, A Holly Jolly Christmas entered the US Billboard Hot 100 list at #89 during the year-end chart performance of 2022; 27 years after Burl’s death.

Featured Image by Trailer Screenshot / Wikimedia / Public Domain