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Red Skelton

Red Skelton

Birthday: 1913-07-18 | Place of Birth: Vincennes, Indiana, USA

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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1981
Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner

as    Freddie the Freeloader

1976
Rudolph's Shiny New Year

as    Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)

1953
Half a Hero

as    Ben Dobson

1952
Lovely to Look At

as    Al Marsh

1951
Texas Carnival

as    Cornie Quinell

1951
The Red Skelton Show

as    Host

1950
The Yellow Cab Man

as    Augustus 'Red' Pirdy

1950
Three Little Words

as    Harry Ruby

1950
Watch the Birdie

as    Rusty Cammeron

1949
Neptune's Daughter

as    Jack Spratt

1948
A Southern Yankee

as    Aubrey Filmore

1948
Texaco Star Theater

as    Clem Kadiddlehopper

1948
The Fuller Brush Man

as    Red Jones

1947
Merton of the Movies

as    Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage

1944
Bathing Beauty

as    Stephen "Steve" Sherman Elliott

1943
I Dood It

as    Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds

1943
Du Barry was a Lady

as    Louis Blore / King Louis XV

1943
Whistling in Brooklyn

as    Wally 'The Fox' Benton

1942
Maisie Gets Her Man

as    Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby

1942
Whistling in Dixie

as    Wally Benton

1941
Whistling in the Dark

as    Wally Benton

1940
Flight Command

as    Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin

1938
Having Wonderful Time

as    Itchy