George Burns was an American comedian, actor, singer, and writer.

He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television.

He and his wife, Gracie Allen, appeared on radio, television, and film as the comedy duo Burns and Allen.

When Burns was 79, he had a sudden career revival as an amiable, beloved and unusually active comedy elder statesman in the 1975 film The Sunshine Boys, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Burns, who became a centenarian in 1996, continued to work until just weeks before his death of cardiac arrest at his home in Beverly Hills.

George Burns was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame with his wife and partner Gracie Allen in 1988.