Acting
Red Skelton
EN cinema · 66 credits
Born
18 July 1913
Died
17 September 1997 (aged 84)
Birthplace
Vincennes, Indiana, USA
Also known as Ред Скелтон · Richard Red Skelton · Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton · Richard Bernard Skelton
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.
Known for
Filmography
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride
as Self (Archival)
Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown
as Red Skelton
Elf: Christmas in Tinseltown
as Self (archive)
Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs
as Himself (Host)/Various Characters
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999
Television: The First Fifty Years
as Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
as From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance
1984
Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance
as Himself
Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner
1981
Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner
as Freddie the Freeloader
The Hollywood Clowns
as (archive footage)
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
as Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)
America on Parade
as Host, Writer
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special
1970
Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special
as Self (uncredited)
The Dean Martin Christmas Show
as Self (uncredited)
Clown Alley
as Freddie the Freeloader, Writer
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
as The Neanderthal Man
The Big Parade of Comedy
as Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage)
Ocean's Eleven
as Self
Public Pigeon No. 1
as Rusty Morgan
Around the World in 80 Days
as Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon
The Country Husband
as Self - Announcing Next Week's Show
Susan Slept Here
as Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)
The Great Diamond Robbery
as Ambrose C. Park
The Clown
as Dodo Delwyn
Half a Hero
as Ben Dobson
Lovely to Look At
as Al Marsh
Texas Carnival
as Cornie Quinell
Excuse My Dust
as Joe Belden
Three Little Words
as Harry Ruby
The Yellow Cab Man
as Augustus 'Red' Pirdy
Watch the Birdie
as Rusty Cammeron / Pop Cammeron / Grandpop Cammeron
The Fuller Brush Girl
as Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)
Neptune's Daughter
as Jack Spratt
The Fuller Brush Man
as Red Jones
A Southern Yankee
as Aubrey Filmore
Merton of the Movies
as Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage
The Show-Off
as J. Aubrey Piper
Ziegfeld Follies
as J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes")
Bathing Beauty
as Steve Elliott
Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)
Du Barry Was a Lady
as Louis Blore / King Louis
Thousands Cheer
as Red Skelton
Whistling in Brooklyn
as Wally 'The Fox' Benton
I Dood It
as Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds
Ship Ahoy
as Merton K. Kibble
Whistling in Dixie
as Wally Benton
Maisie Gets Her Man
as Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby
Lady Be Good
as Joe 'Red' Willet
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day
as Vernon Briggs
Whistling in the Dark
as Wally Benton
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare
as Vernon Briggs
Flight Command
as Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin
Seeing Red
as Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee
