Although Red Buttons is best known as a stand-up comic, he is also a successful songwriter, an Academy Award-winning actor (and has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards) and an accomplished singer. Born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 (Aquarius) in New York City's Lower East Side, stood at a height of 5' 6" (1.68 m). Buttons (who got his name from a uniform he wore while working as a singing bellhop), also known as Cpl. Red Buttons, started his show-business career singing on street corners as a child. At 16 he got a job as part of a comedy act playing the famed Catskills resort area in upstate New York (his partner was future actor Robert Alda). Buttons worked the burlesque circuit as a comic and even landed a role in a Broadway play, "Vicki", in 1942. He soon joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and in 1943 was picked for a role in Moss Hart's service play "Winged Victory" on Broadway, and soon afterwards journeyed to Hollywood to make the film version. After his discharge from the service he returned to Broadway, both in plays and as a comic with several big-band orchestras. He was successful enough that he got his own TV series, The Red Buttons Show (1952), on CBS. It lasted three years and won Buttons an Emmy for Best Comedian. He worked steadily for the next several years, and in 1957 got his big film break in the drama Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando, in which he played an American soldier stationed in Japan who struggled against the societal and racist pressures of both American and Japanese cultures because of his love for a Japanese woman. His performance garnered him an Academy Award, and more film roles followed. He played a paratrooper in The Longest Day (1962), was nominated for a Golden Globe for Harlow (1965) and again for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). He had a part in the TV series The Double Life of Henry Phyfe (1966) and has done pretty much every kind of TV show there is, from variety to comedy to soap operas. He gained further renown in the 1970s for his appearances on the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roast" where he performed his "Never Got a Dinner" act to great acclaim. He has played Las Vegas for years, has a star on Hollywood Boulevard (corner of Hollywood and Vine) and has appeared in numerous telethons and charitable events, for which he has been honored by such organizations as the Friars Club and the City of Hope Hospital. He died July 13, 2006 at the age of 87 in Century City, California, USA from vascular disease.
Although Red Buttons is best known as a stand-up comic, he is also a successful songwriter, an Academy Award-winning actor (and has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards) and an accomplished singer. Born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 (Aquarius) in New York City's Lower East Side, stood at a height of 5' 6" (1.68 m). Buttons (who got his name from a uniform he wore while working as a singing bellhop), also known as Cpl. Red Buttons, started his show-business career singing on street corners as a child. At 16 he got a job as part of a comedy act playing the famed Catskills resort area in upstate New York (his partner was future actor Robert Alda). Buttons worked the burlesque circuit as a comic and even landed a role in a Broadway play, "Vicki", in 1942. He soon joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and in 1943 was picked for a role in Moss Hart's service play "Winged Victory" on Broadway, and soon afterwards journeyed to Hollywood to make the film version. After his discharge from the service he returned to Broadway, both in plays and as a comic with several big-band orchestras. He was successful enough that he got his own TV series, The Red Buttons Show (1952), on CBS. It lasted three years and won Buttons an Emmy for Best Comedian. He worked steadily for the next several years, and in 1957 got his big film break in the drama Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando, in which he played an American soldier stationed in Japan who struggled against the societal and racist pressures of both American and Japanese cultures because of his love for a Japanese woman. His performance garnered him an Academy Award, and more film roles followed. He played a paratrooper in The Longest Day (1962), was nominated for a Golden Globe for Harlow (1965) and again for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). He had a part in the TV series The Double Life of Henry Phyfe (1966) and has done pretty much every kind of TV show there is, from variety to comedy to soap operas. He gained further renown in the 1970s for his appearances on the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roast" where he performed his "Never Got a Dinner" act to great acclaim. He has played Las Vegas for years, has a star on Hollywood Boulevard (corner of Hollywood and Vine) and has appeared in numerous telethons and charitable events, for which he has been honored by such organizations as the Friars Club and the City of Hope Hospital. He died July 13, 2006 at the age of 87 in Century City, California, USA from vascular disease.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0000999
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q313198
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Filmography (Movies)
Goodnight, We Love You
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2004
The Story of Us
Character:Arnie Jordan
Release Date:14/10/1999
Ghosts of Fear Street
Character:Grandpa
Release Date:31/07/1998
Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years
Character:Self
Release Date:21/01/1997
Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker
Character:Self
Release Date:03/09/1995
It Could Happen to You
Character:Walter Zakuto
Release Date:16/07/1994
The Ambulance
Character:Elias Zacharai
Release Date:22/03/1990
George Burns: His Wit and Wisdom
Character:Self - Burns Card Play Partner (uncredited)
Release Date:01/05/1989
Jackie Gleason: The Great One
Character:Self
Release Date:10/09/1988
18 Again!
Character:Charlie
Release Date:08/04/1988
Reunion at Fairborough
Character:Jiggs Quealy
Release Date:12/05/1985
Night of 100 Stars II
Character:Self
Release Date:10/03/1985
George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business
Character:Self
Release Date:19/09/1983
Off Your Rocker
Character:Seymour Saltz
Release Date:05/06/1982
Side Show
Character:Harry Hubbell
Release Date:05/06/1981
Leave 'Em Laughing
Character:Roland Green
Release Date:29/04/1981
When Time Ran Out...
Character:Francis Fendly
Release Date:28/03/1980
Power
Character:Solly Weiss
Release Date:14/01/1980
C.H.O.M.P.S.
Character:Bracken
Release Date:21/12/1979
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Character:Milton (voice)
Release Date:01/07/1979
The Muppets Go Hollywood
Character:Self
Release Date:16/05/1979
Movie Movie
Character:Peanuts / Jinks Murphy
Release Date:01/11/1978
The Users
Character:Warren Ambrose
Release Date:01/10/1978
Telethon
Character:Marty Rand
Release Date:06/11/1977
Pete's Dragon
Character:Hoagy
Release Date:03/11/1977
Viva Knievel!
Character:Ben Andrews
Release Date:10/06/1977
Joys
Character:Self
Release Date:05/03/1976
Gable and Lombard
Character:Ivan Cooper
Release Date:11/02/1976
Flannery and Quilt
Character:Luke Flannery
Release Date:01/02/1976
Louis Armstrong: Chicago Style
Character:
Release Date:25/01/1976
The New Original Wonder Woman
Character:Ashley Norman
Release Date:07/11/1975
The Poseidon Adventure
Character:James Martin
Release Date:01/12/1972
Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?
Character:Mickey Isadore
Release Date:11/12/1971
Breakout
Character:Pipes
Release Date:08/12/1970
George M!
Character:Sam Harris
Release Date:12/09/1970
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Character:Sailor
Release Date:10/12/1969
Murder at N.B.C.
Character:
Release Date:19/10/1966
Stagecoach
Character:Peacock
Release Date:21/04/1966
Harlow
Character:Arthur Landau
Release Date:23/06/1965
Up from the Beach
Character:PFC Harry Devine
Release Date:25/05/1965
Your Cheatin' Heart
Character:Shorty Younger
Release Date:04/11/1964
A Ticklish Affair
Character:Flight Officer Simon 'Uncle Cy' Shelley
Release Date:18/08/1963
Gay Purr-ee
Character:Robespierre (voice)
Release Date:24/10/1962
The Longest Day
Character:Pvt. John Steele
Release Date:25/09/1962
Five Weeks in a Balloon
Character:Donald O'Shay
Release Date:22/08/1962
Hatari!
Character:Pockets
Release Date:19/06/1962
One, Two, Three
Character:MP Sergeant (uncredited)
Release Date:15/12/1961
The Big Circus
Character:Randy Sherman
Release Date:05/07/1959
A Marriage of Strangers
Character:Jerry
Release Date:14/05/1959
The All-Star Christmas Show
Character:Self
Release Date:01/12/1958
Imitation General
Character:Cpl. Chan Derby
Release Date:20/08/1958
Hansel and Gretel
Character:Hansel
Release Date:27/04/1958
Sayonara
Character:Joe Kelly
Release Date:25/12/1957
Footlight Varieties
Character:Himself
Release Date:21/03/1951
Winged Victory
Character:Whitey / Andrews Sister
Release Date:22/12/1944
Television Appearances
Presidio Med
Character:Chick
Street Time
Character:Sam Kahan
Philly
Character:
Family Law
Character:Carl Porter
Early Edition
Character:Walter Stites
Cosby
Character:
ER
Character:Ruby
Roseanne
Character:
It's Garry Shandling's Show
Character:Red Buttons
Alice in Wonderland
Character:White Rabbit
227
Character:
The Cosby Show
Character:Jake Bennett
Aloha Paradise
Character:
The Dream Merchants
Character:Bruce Benson
Pink Lady
Character:Red Buttons
Pink Lady
Character:Police Sergeant
Knots Landing
Character:Al Baker
Vega$
Character:
The Love Boat
Character:Cyrus Foster
The Love Boat
Character:Buddy Redmond
Wonder Woman
Character:Ashley Norman
Little House on the Prairie
Character:
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Character:Self
Great Performances
Character:Self
Love, American Style
Character:Norman
The Danny Thomas Hour
Character:
The Jackie Gleason Show
Character:
The Double Life of Henry Phyfe
Character:Henry Wadsworth Phyfe
The Dean Martin Show
Character:
The Hollywood Palace
Character:Self
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
Character:
The Greatest Show on Earth
Character:
The Eleventh Hour
Character:
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Self
Saints and Sinners
Character:Joe Roganyan
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self - Host
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self - Co-Host
Frontier Circus
Character:
Password
Character:
Ben Casey
Character:
Startime
Character:
Kraft Music Hall
Character:Self
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Character:Self
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Character:Self
The United States Steel Hour
Character:
The Oscars
Character:Self
General Electric Theater
Character:Lieutenant George Poole
General Electric Theater
Character:Tippy-Top
The Red Buttons Show
Character:Host
What's My Line?
Character:Self
Suspense
Character:
Studio One
Character:St. Emergency
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character:Self
Images
