Red Buttons

In 1939, Red Buttons went to work in burlesque and in 1941, Jose Ferrer asked Buttons to appear in Vicki, Buttons' first Broadway show. In 1942, Buttons appeared in Wine, Women and Song, the last burlesque show in New York City. In 1943, while serving in the Army Air Corp., Buttons was chosen for a role in Moss Hart's Broadway show Winged Victory and then in the motion picture of the same name for Darryl Zanuck with George Cukor directing. During World War II, Buttons joined Mickey Rooney in France and entertained the troops all through the European Theater of Operations.

From 1948 to 1952, Buttons played the Broadway movie houses with the big bands and made guest appearances on such television shows as The Milton Berle Texaco Hour and Cavalcade of Stars. In 1952, he starred in his own television show The Red Buttons Show. Buttons won the Academy of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences Award (which later became the Emmy) as Best Comedian of 1953.

In 1957, Buttons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his brilliant performance in the feature film Sayonara with Marlon Brando. His other feature film credits include Imitation General, The Big Circus, Hatari, The Longest Day, One, Two, Three, A Ticklish Affair, Your Cheating Heart, Gay Puree, Five Weeks In a Balloon, Up From the Beach, Harlow, Stagecoach, They Shoot Horses Don't They and The Poseidon Adventure.

Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Red Buttons Facts

Birth Name	Aaron Chwatt
Occupation	Actor
Birthday	February 5, 1919
Sign	Aquarius
Birthplace	New York, New York, USA
Date of death	July 13, 2006 (age 87)
Awards	1958 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (for Sayonara)
	1958 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture (for Sayanora)

Selected Filmography

Not available.