Cast
Red Skelton
Acting
Cast
Red Skelton
Known for
Acting
Born
1913-07-18
From
Vincennes, Indiana, USA
Died
1997-09-17
Also known as Ред Скелтон, Richard Red Skelton, Richard Bernard "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.
Around the World in 80 Days
as Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon
Ocean's Eleven
as Self
Bathing Beauty
as Steve Elliott
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
as The Neanderthal Man
Ship Ahoy
as Merton K. Kibble
A Southern Yankee
as Aubrey Filmore
Texas Carnival
as Cornie Quinell
The Clown
as Dodo Delwyn
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ziegfeld Follies
as J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes")
Television: The First Fifty Years
as Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage)
Flight Command
as Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin
Susan Slept Here
as Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
Whistling in the Dark
as Wally Benton
The Fuller Brush Girl
as Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)
Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner
as Freddie the Freeloader
Du Barry Was a Lady
as Louis Blore / King Louis
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
Pioneers of Primetime
Panama Hattie
as Red
Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)
Swing Out, Sweet Land
as Self
The Big Parade of Comedy
as Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage)
I Dood It
as Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
as Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)
Inside the Dream Factory
as Self
Neptune's Daughter
as Jack Spratt
The Country Husband
as Self - Announcing Next Week's Show
Excuse My Dust
as Joe Belden
Public Pigeon No. 1
as Rusty Morgan
The Yellow Cab Man
as Augustus 'Red' Pirdy
Three Little Words
as Harry Ruby
The Fuller Brush Man
as Red Jones
Half a Hero
as Ben Dobson
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
as Self (uncredited)
Watch the Birdie
as Rusty Cammeron / Pop Cammeron / Grandpop Cammeron
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
as Vernon Briggs
The Hollywood Clowns
as (archive footage)
Thousands Cheer
as Red Skelton
Lady Be Good
as Joe 'Red' Willet
Whistling in Dixie
as Wally Benton
Whistling in Brooklyn
as Wally 'The Fox' Benton
Maisie Gets Her Man
as Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby
Merton of the Movies
as Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage
Having Wonderful Time
as Itchy
The Great Diamond Robbery
as Ambrose C. Park
Honor America Day
as Self
Lovely to Look At
as Al Marsh
Clown Alley
as Freddie the Freeloader
Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special
as Self (uncredited)
The People's Command Performance: '77
as Self
Seeing Red
as Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride
as Self (Archival)
Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance
as Himself
The Show-Off
as J. Aubrey Piper
The Broadway Buckaroo
as Red
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs
as Himself (Host)/Various Characters
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
as Vernon Briggs
The Man in the Funny Suit
as Self
Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown
as Red Skelton
Red Skelton Christmas Classics
as Main
America on Parade
as Host
A Tribute to Houdini
as Self