Arthur William Matthew Carney was born on November 4, 1918 in Mount Vernon, New York. Before serving in World War II, he had worked as an entertainer in the 1930s at the local Elk Club, performing as both an impressionist and a tap dancer. After graduating from high school, Art traveled with Horace Heidt's popular orchestra and radio quiz show.

Because of his participation in Heidt's group, Carney landed a big role in his first film, Pot O' Gold (1941), which starred James Stewart and Paulette Goddard. Playing a radio announcer came naturally to Art, since he had been perfecting his characters and talents regularly on daytime serials, mysteries, children's shows and spot recordings. In addition to these fictional characters, Art also impersonated the voices of prominent political figures, such as Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his more serious program Report to the Nation. He also worked with Morey Amsterdam on a radio show that eventually turned into a television show, and thereby, Art made his television entrance.

Carney is best known for his portrayal of Ed Norton, Jackie Gleason's best chum on The Honeymooners (1955). Earning the title of America's most famous city sewer worker, Art's character was Ralph's (Gleason) cheerful and heartening buddy who often caused friction between Ralph and his wife Alice (Audrey Meadows).

Prior to The Honeymooners, for which he earned five of his seven Emmys, Carney mainly worked on stage where he returned later and created the role of compulsive neat-nik Felix Unger in the original Broadway production of The Odd Couple (1965). Throughout the sixties, he also appeared in The Rope Dancers, The Prisoners of Second Avenue, and Take Her, She's Mine.

In 1974, Art moved onto the big screen and received an Oscar for his leading role in Harry and Tonto (1974). He followed this with other talented and innovative parts in many more films including W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), where he played a fundamentalist preacher turned lawman and The Late Show (1977), where he played an elderly private investigator.

His boundless acting capability has confirmed his versatile talent; he has taken roles ranging from doctors to detectives to artist, and has appeared in virtually every genre of the entertainment and film industry. He made countless guest appearances on TV specials and series such as The Carol Burnett Show (1967) and Batman (1966), where he guest starred as the Archer. Carney also appeared in made-for-tv movies including Izzy and Moe (1985), reuniting him with former costar, Jackie Gleason, and Terrible Joe Moran (1984), which won him yet another Emmy.

Carney is survived by his wife Jean and has three grown children (Ellen, Brian, and Paul) from a previous marriage.

TV Land will honor the life and work of this television legend and acclaimed actor with a 39-episode marathon presentation of The Honeymooners on Friday, November 14 beginning at 8:00pm ET/PT.