Red Buttons
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Buttons serves as a Scribe Emeritus for the Friars Club
Biography
Feisty, diminutive, red-haired comedian who regularly played very serious dramatic roles in features. A veteran of New York burlesque and the Catskills comedy circuit, Buttons appeared as a pilot in training in the moral-boosting stage drama "Winged Victory," and recreated the role soon thereafter in the 1944 film version. He played on Broadway after WWII and enjoyed tremendous popularity during the first season of TV's "The Red Buttons Show" (1952-55). Part variety show, part sitcom, the program gave full vent to Buttons' manic, fast-talking, knockabout style. One of Buttons' oft-repeated gestures, placing his hands together in a desperate, somewhat prayerful manner, was on regular display in the show, and children everywhere mimicked the "Ho Ho! He He! Ha Ha! Strange things are happening!" theme song. His gallery of characters, meanwhile, including the Sad Sack; the Kupke Kid, a child; Rocky, a boxer; and the bumbling Keeglefarven, played up the at-once argumentative and long-suffering aspects of his persona.
When the show's popularity abruptly faded, Buttons' career stalled, but like Frank Sinatra, another compact, multi-talented performer who was called a has-been, Buttons also revived his career with a very dramatic performance which copped him a supporting actor Oscar. As a soldier whose interracial romance with a Japanese woman leads to bigotry-induced tragedy in "Sayonara" (1957), Buttons began a very successful career as a character actor in features. While not eschewing comedy (the rowdy adventure "Hatari!" 1962, the underrated "Movie Movie" 1978, "18 Again" 1988), some of Buttons' best work has been in drama. His smart, supportive agent was the best thing about the trashy if watchable Hollywood biopic, "Harlow" (1965) and he was very moving as a desperate dance marathoner in the striking "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969). Buttons also did well as one of the endangered passengers in the surprisingly good disaster epic, "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972).
Some of Buttons' most visible work in more recent years, though, has been on TV. The deliberately abrasive edge Buttons brings to his manic characters was prominent in the cranky messenger who plagued the cast of "Knot's Landing" for the 1987 season. He was also often show-stoppingly hilarious stomping onto the dais of Dean Martin's celebrity roasts (1972-77; and occasional 80s specials) to harangue the honoree with wild cries of "Some of the most famous people in history never got a dinner!"
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1931
Won an amateur night entertainment contest at age 12 (date approximate)
1935
Worked as a combination bellhop and singer at a tavern in the Bronx at age 16; supposedly acquired the nickname "Red Buttons" because of his uniform
1942
Made Broadway acting debut in a supporting role in "Vickie"
1944
Made feature film debut in "Winged Victory"
1952
Starred in the CBS sketch comedy and variety show, "The Red Buttons Show"
1966
Starred in the title role of the ABC sitcom, "The Double Life of Henry Phyfe"; also performed title theme along with series co-star Fred Clark
1985
Played the White Rabbit on the CBS musical miniseries, "Alice in Wonderland"
1987
Played recurring role of Al Baker on the CBS primetime soap, "Knot's Landing"
1988
Returned to feature films after an eight-year absence in "18 Again!"
1994
Appeared in the feature "It Could Happen to You"
1999
Made cameo appearance in the Rob Reiner-directed comedy-drama "The Story of Us"
2002
Had regular role on the Showtime series "Street Time"
2005
Emmy nominated guest-starring role on the drama series "ER" (NBC)
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Buttons serves as a Scribe Emeritus for the Friars Club
