Red Skelton

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1913-07-18

Deathday 1997-09-17 (84 years old)

Place of Birth Vincennes, Indiana, USA

Also Known As Ред Скелтон, Richard Red Skelton, Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton, Richard Bernard Skelton

Red Skelton

Biography

The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to show business at the age of 7 by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At age 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at age 15. At age 17, he married Edna Marie Stilwell, an usher who became his vaudeville partner and later his chief writer and manager. He debuted on Broadway and radio in 1937 and on film in 1938. His ex-wife/manager negotiated a seven-year Hollywood contract for him in 1951, the same year The Red Skelton Hour (1951) premiered on NBC. For two decades, until 1971, his show consistently stayed in the top twenty, both on NBC and CBS. His numerous characters, including Clem Kaddiddlehopper, George Appleby, and the seagulls Gertrude and Heathcliffe delighted audiences for decades. First and foremost, he considered himself a clown, although not the greatest, and his paintings of clowns brought in a fortune after he left television. His home life was not completely happy--two divorces and a son Richard who died of leukemia at age 9--and he did not hang around with other comedians. He continued performing live until illness, and he was a longtime supporter of children's charities. Red Skelton died at age 84 of pneumonia in Rancho Mirage, California, on September 17, 1997. Red is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Benediction.

Known For

Actor

2001
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs

as Himself (Host)/Various Characters

1999
Television: The First Fifty Years

as Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage)

1985
That's Dancing!

as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)

1985
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers

as Self (archive footage)

1981
1979
The Hollywood Clowns

as (archive footage)

1976
Rudolph's Shiny New Year

as Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)

1976
That's Entertainment, Part II

as (archive footage)

1976
1974
That's Entertainment!

as (archive footage) (uncredited)

1970
1968
The Dean Martin Christmas Show

as Self (uncredited)

1966
Clown Alley

as Freddie the Freeloader

1964
The Big Parade of Comedy

as Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage)

1960
1957
Public Pigeon No. 1

as Rusty Morgan

1957
1956
Around the World in Eighty Days

as Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon

1956
The Steve Allen Show

as Self - Cameo / Clem Kadiddlehopper

1956
The Steve Allen Show

as Self - Recipient

1954
Susan Slept Here

as Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)

1954
The Great Diamond Robbery

as Ambrose C. Park

1954
Climax!

as Rusty Morgan

1953
Half a Hero

as Ben Dobson

1953
The Clown

as Dodo Delwyn

1953
The Oscars

as Self

1952
Lovely to Look At

as Al Marsh

1952
1951
Texas Carnival

as Cornie Quinell

1951
Excuse My Dust

as Joe Belden

1950
Watch the Birdie

as Rusty Cammeron

1950
The Fuller Brush Girl

as Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)

1950
Three Little Words

as Harry Ruby

1950
The Yellow Cab Man

as Augustus 'Red' Pirdy

1950
1950
What's My Line?

as Self - Mystery Guest

1949
Neptune's Daughter

as Jack Spratt

1948
A Southern Yankee

as Aubrey Filmore

1948
1948
The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self - Comedian

1948
The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self - Guest

1948
The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self - Guest Host

1948
Texaco Star Theater

as Clem Kadiddlehopper

1947
Merton of the Movies

as Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage

1946
The Show-Off

as J. Aubrey Piper

1945
Ziegfeld Follies

as J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes")

1944
Bathing Beauty

as Stephen "Steve" Sherman Elliott

1944
Twenty Years After

as (archive footage)

1943
Whistling in Brooklyn

as Wally 'The Fox' Benton

1943
Thousands Cheer

as Red Skelton

1943
I Dood It

as Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds

1943
Du Barry was a Lady

as Louis Blore / King Louis XV

1942
Whistling in Dixie

as Wally Benton

1942
1942
Maisie Gets Her Man

as Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby

1942
Ship Ahoy

as Merton K. Kibble

1941
Lady Be Good

as Joe 'Red' Willet

1941
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day

as Vernon Briggs

1941
Whistling in the Dark

as Wally Benton

1941
1940
Flight Command

as Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin

1939
Seeing Red

as Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee

Writer

1976
1966
Clown Alley

as Writer

1951
1950

Producer

1951