Burl Ives Burl Ives ( June 14 , 1909 – April 14 , 1995 ) was an – winning actor , author , and renowned folk singer . After dropping out of school at an early age , he roamed the countryside looking for work as a singer . He eventually found work in , both as a singer and an actor . After missing out on most of , Ives began his career in film . However , in the 1950s , Ives was branded as a Communist . To avoid , and in an attempt to return to work , Ives named names to the , which earned him the ire of his colleagues . Nevertheless , Ives established a strong presence for himself on the screen , and was directed to an Academy Award by for his work in " " . Ives was also known for his voice work . In 1964 , he voiced Sam the Snowman in " " , and in 1984 he narrated John Korty ' s " " . On passing in 1995 due to , Ives was survived by his second wife , Dorothy , and his children . Biography . Early life . Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was born in in , , on June 14 , 1909 ; the youngest of six children . His father was a tenant farmer and the family moved often during his childhood . Ives and his siblings were introduced to music early in life . During his youth , his mother loved singing , and Ives was taught myriad songs by his grandmother . He began performing those songs in public for twenty - five cents to help support his family , starting at age four with a performance for a veterans reunion . He soon learned how to play guitar and banjo to accompany his vocals . Ives was a member of the , an organization that aimed to teach self - reliance and respect through the study of tradition . That organization was incorporated into the in 1924 and Ives later spent a great deal of time supporting the Boy Scouts . Ives went to school in , . In high school , he played American football , and when he went on to in 1927 , he joined the school ' s team and planned to become a coach . However , while listening to a lecture on " " one day in his junior year , he came to the conclusion he was not learning anything of value and dropped out , leaving the class then and there . He then roamed the country to pursue a musical career , earning the nickname " The Wayfaring Stranger , " which he went on to use for his shows , albums and autobiographies . Early career . Ives traveled the county and performed songs wherever possible , supporting himself by working on riverboats and other odd jobs . In his travels , during which he called himself " Burl Ives , the Vagabond Lover , " he endured many hardships . In , he was jailed for singing a banned song : " . " In 1931 , he took up residence in , where he not only got a job at radio , but returned to school , at . Ives took voice lessons from Madame Clara Lyon in . In 1937 , he took up residence in , where he attended the and the School of Music . He sang in cafes and performed in stock acting companies while simultaneously continuing his voice training with Ella Toedt and taking acting lessons from Benno Schneider . In 1938 , Ives appeared in the Broadway musical " " . Making a living by singing in clubs , Ives performed on the radio show " Forecast " , which led to the network granting him his own radio program , " The Wayfaring Stranger " , starting in 1940 . He was able to popularize several songs during that period , notably " , " " Foggy Foggy Dew , " " , " and " . " During this time he also continued his Broadway career with " Heavenly Express " in 1940 , and performed at the well - regarded club in Greenwich Village . Ives was drafted into the army for in 1942 , and in the following year he appeared in " " , a musical production aimed at raising troop morale . He also made recordings for the and briefly hosted a radio show called " G . I . Jive " , which played at military outposts overseas . Later in 1943 , he was discharged due to medical concerns , after which he continued his entertainer career by hosting another CBS radio program from from 1943 to 1944 . He appeared in the Broadway folk music revue " Sing Out , Sweet Land ! " in 1944 , which earned him a . During that time he also recorded a handful of songs for minor commercial label companies such as " " and " . " In 1945 , he married a scriptwriter , Helen Peck Ehrich , with whom he adopted a son named Alexander . McCarthy era . Following the war ' s conclusion in 1945 , Ives was signed to a minor label , Stinson , before moving to , which was familiar with Ives from producing the " Sing Out , Sweet Land ! " soundtrack . He made his screen debut as " Willie " in " Smoky " , the second film adaptation of ' horse story , which was released in 1946 . From 1946 to 1948 he again hosted another radio show , called " The Burl Ives Show " , for the . Ives continued to perform regularly in nightclubs during that time . In 1948 he appeared in two films , " " and " " , and the family film " " , in which he sang the songs " " and " Lavender Blue . " " So Dear to My Heart " proved to be Ives ' breakthrough film performance , and " Lavender Blue " became his first chart hit . Ives wrote his first book in 1948 , an autobiography called " The Wayfaring Stranger " . In 1949 , he appeared in the Broadway comedy " " . Following that success , he moved to , where he continued to flourish in the industry . Despite his success at Columbia , Ives eventually returned to Decca , where he continued to have successive hits . Ives initially displayed liberal political convictions and was a member of Hollywood Fights Back , a movement by entertainers in the late 1940s to counter the actions of the in identifying in the entertainment industry . Ives was listed as being a member of a left - wing group in the " " pamphlet , and was blacklisted by the government until he stood before the House Un - American Activities Committee and convinced them otherwise . In the process , he named names and labeled several of his colleagues as Communists . That act allowed Ives to continue his work in the industry , and he went on to work in both the music industry and the film industry , although he was accused of betraying his colleagues and political beliefs to save his career . Ives ' popularity as a singer grew with that of the rising popularity of folk music following World War II , which led him to record several songs such as " , " " Hush Little Baby , " " John Henry , " " Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord , " " , " and " . " He also recorded more than 120 songs for " " , a six - album collection released by Films . In 1950 , Ives starred with in the Western film " Sierra " . He also continued to appear in several notable New York theater roles throughout the decade , including " " and " " , the latter of which led to him starring in the national tour from 1952 to 1953 . In 1953 , Ives composed two new song books : the " Burl Ives Song Book " , which included 115 folk songs , and " Burl Ives ' Sea Songs of Sailing , Whaling and Fishing " , which included 68 songs . He followed those up with the book " Tales of America " the next year . In 1955 , he portrayed Big Daddy in the play " " , which earned him critical praise and became arguably his most famous role . Film career . In the mid – late 1950s , Ives ' film career began in earnest . He played a supporting role in " " in 1955 , as well as a minor role in the 1956 film " " , and an uncredited performance as himself in " " ( 1957 ) . Ives also branched into television roles , portraying dramatic roles on the CBS programs " " and " " . But it was in 1958 that Ives reached the pinnacle of his acting career . He reprised the role of Big Daddy in ' of " Cat on a Hot Tin Roof " , and played Rufus Hannessey in " " . Ives ' performance in the " The Big Country " as a man who is forced to kill his son so impressed the that they gave him the that year . Also in 1958 , he starred in " " and " " . The next year he played a gang leader in " " . Ives ' television appearances included " " between 1956 and 1959 and " " in 1960 . Ives also displayed a degree of versatility : while " East of Eden " , " Cat on a Hot Tin Roof " , and " The Big Country " were all " adult dramas , " he appeared in the comedy " " in 1959 , and was also proficient in children ' s fare , such as " " in 1963 and " " in 1964 . " Rudolph " , in which he played " Sam the Snowman " and functioned as the narrator , was a special success for Ives due to the appeal of songs he contributed , " and " " , which became instant Christmas classics and remain so to this day . Also in 1964 , Ives earned a for his children ' s album , " Chim Chim Cheree and Other Children ' s Choices " . Additionally , he portrayed a genie in the fantasy comedy " " and appeared in the " " sequel " " . In 1966 , he provided a voice for the animated film " " . He also hosted his own television special called " The Burl Ives Thanksgiving Special " in 1968 . Ives returned to the Broadway stage in the melodrama play " Dr . Cook ' s Garden " , where he played a small - town doctor who approved of . Throughout the mid to late 1960s and into the early 1970s , Ives had a popular run on television as the lead roles on both " O . K . Crackerby ! " from 1966 to 1969 and " " from 1969 to 1972 . In 1972 , he starred in an episode of " " : " The Other Way Out . " After those shows , he worked the majority of the time with Walt Disney Studios on movies meant for children . Later life . In 1962 , Ives won the Grammy Award for Best Country Western Recording for " Funny Way of Laughin . " Later that decade , Ives returned to Columbia , where he recorded such ballads as " The Times They Are A - Changin ' " and " Softly and Tenderly . " He also received another Grammy nomination for his 1974 family album , " America Sings " . Although they became less frequent , Ives continued to make film appearances in the 1970s , including the 1970 drama " The McMasters " , the 1976 family film " Baker ' s Hawk " , and the 1979 comedy " " . In 1971 , Ives was divorced from Peck , and two months later married Dorothy Koster Paul . Peck was awarded custody of Alexander , and Ives adopted his new wife ' s three children : Rob , Kevin and Barbara . After a long hiatus from recording , Ives recorded one last major album , " Payin ' My Dues Again , " before relegating himself to children ' s and religious music . Upon reaching the age of 70 in 1979 , Ives retired to with his wife and children . Even after retirement , however , he appeared in the science - fiction film " " in 1981 and the racial drama " " in 1982 . " Caravan of Courage : An Ewok Adventure " . In 1984 , Ives came out of retirement again to provide narration for John Korty ' s " Star Wars " telemovie , " " . Ives ' narration in the film ' s opening scenes explained the actions of a group of Ewoks who spoke only Ewokese ; as the narration continued throughout the course of the film , it provided context to a plot in which a brother and sister had to save their parents from a giant monster . Legacy . Ives worked much less often after " Caravan of Courage : An Ewok Adventure " . His final film performance was in the 1988 erotic thriller " " , and he released his final album , " The Magic Balladeer " , in 1993 . In the early 1990s , the creators of the cult animated " " used stock audio of Ives in order to have him " guest star " on the show . When he heard of what they had done , Ives claimed that he would have recorded it for real , had they asked . Ives died on April 14 , 1995 in , Washington due to . Survived by his wife and children , Ives was interred in Jasper County at Mound Cemetery . Decca continued to release Ives ' records for many years after his death .