1913-07-18 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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Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown | Red Skelton | 2005-06-28 |
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Pioneers of Primetime | 2005-11-09 | |
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Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs | Himself (Host)/Various Characters | 2001-05-15 |
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Television: The First Fifty Years | Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage) | 1999-01-01 |
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Inside the Dream Factory | Self | 1995-11-01 |
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A Tribute to Houdini | Self | 1987-01-01 |
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Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers | Self (archive footage) | 1985-01-01 |
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That's Dancing! | From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage) | 1985-01-18 |
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Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance | Himself | 1984-04-22 |
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Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner | Freddie the Freeloader | 1981-11-01 |
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The Hollywood Clowns | (archive footage) | 1979-03-23 |
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The People's Command Performance: '77 | Self | 1977-04-07 |
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Rudolph's Shiny New Year | Father Time / Baby Bear (voice) | 1976-12-10 |
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America on Parade | Host | 1976-04-03 |
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That's Entertainment, Part II | (archive footage) | 1976-05-16 |
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That's Entertainment! | (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1974-06-21 |
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Swing Out, Sweet Land | Self | 1970-01-01 |
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Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special | Self (uncredited) | 1970-11-16 |
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Honor America Day | Self | 1970-07-04 |
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The Dean Martin Christmas Show | Self (uncredited) | 1968-12-19 |
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Clown Alley | Freddie the Freeloader | 1966-11-09 |
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Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes | The Neanderthal Man | 1965-06-16 |
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The Big Parade of Comedy | Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage) | 1964-09-02 |
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Ocean's Eleven | Self | 1960-08-10 |
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Public Pigeon No. 1 | Rusty Morgan | 1957-05-17 |
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Around the World in Eighty Days | Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon | 1956-10-17 |
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Red Skelton Christmas Classics | Main | 1955-12-23 |
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The Great Diamond Robbery | Ambrose C. Park | 1954-01-29 |
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Susan Slept Here | Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited) | 1954-07-28 |
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The Clown | Dodo Delwyn | 1953-01-16 |
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Half a Hero | Ben Dobson | 1953-05-11 |
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Lovely to Look At | Al Marsh | 1952-05-29 |
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Texas Carnival | Cornie Quinell | 1951-10-05 |
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Excuse My Dust | Joe Belden | 1951-06-27 |
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The Fuller Brush Girl | Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited) | 1950-09-15 |
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Watch the Birdie | Rusty Cammeron | 1950-12-11 |
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The Yellow Cab Man | Augustus 'Red' Pirdy | 1950-03-25 |
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Three Little Words | Harry Ruby | 1950-07-12 |
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Neptune's Daughter | Jack Spratt | 1949-06-10 |
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The Fuller Brush Man | Red Jones | 1948-06-01 |
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A Southern Yankee | Aubrey Filmore | 1948-08-05 |
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Merton of the Movies | Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage | 1947-10-11 |
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The Show-Off | J. Aubrey Piper | 1946-12-01 |
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Ziegfeld Follies | J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes") | 1945-08-26 |
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Twenty Years After | (archive footage) | 1944-01-01 |
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Bathing Beauty | Stephen "Steve" Sherman Elliott | 1944-06-27 |
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I Dood It | Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds | 1943-09-01 |
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Thousands Cheer | Red Skelton | 1943-09-13 |
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Du Barry Was a Lady | Louis Blore / King Louis XV | 1943-08-13 |
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Whistling in Brooklyn | Wally 'The Fox' Benton | 1943-12-01 |
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Ship Ahoy | Merton K. Kibble | 1942-04-16 |
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Whistling in Dixie | Wally Benton | 1942-12-31 |
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Panama Hattie | Red | 1942-09-30 |
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Maisie Gets Her Man | Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby | 1942-06-01 |
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Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day | Vernon Briggs | 1941-08-22 |
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The People Vs. Dr. Kildare | Vernon Briggs | 1941-05-02 |
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Whistling in the Dark | Wally Benton | 1941-08-08 |
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Lady Be Good | Joe 'Red' Willet | 1941-09-18 |
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Flight Command | Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin | 1940-12-27 |
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The Broadway Buckaroo | Red | 1939-06-03 |
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Seeing Red | Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee | 1939-08-25 |
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Having Wonderful Time | Itchy | 1938-07-01 |
