George M. Cohan was born (according to his birth certificate) on July 3, 1878 (although he and his p
George M. Cohan was born (according to his birth certificate) on July 3, 1878 (although he and his parents insisted he was “Born on the Fourth of July”) in Providence, Rhode Island. Cohan would become an immensely famous Broadway writer and actor. Over his lifetime he wrote and/or starred in over 3 dozen musicals produced on Broadway. Cohan made famous such songs as “Give My Regards to Broadway”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, and “Over There.” James Cagney portrayed Cohan in the 1942 movie “Yankee Doodle Dandy” about Cohan’s life and won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Cohan died in New York on November 5, 1942. He lays in rest at Woodlawn Cemetery. After his death, sculptor Georg Lober and architect Otto Lanmann were hired to create a statue in honor of Cohan. On September 11, 1959, the sculpture was unveiled in Time Square with the inscription reading, “Give my Regards to Broadway." -- source link
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