by Jason AnkenyBorn in Connecticut in 1901, Morton Downey was a popular entertainer during the pre-World War II era. A light tenor nicknamed "The Irish Nightingale," Downey starred in films and on the cabaret circuit and radio, earning the honor Radio Singer of the Year in 1932. The father of notorious TV talk-show host Morton Downey, Jr., Downey Sr. died in 1985.