Red Buttons Biography (1919-)

Original name, Aaron Chwatt; born February 5, 1919, in New York, NY; son of Michael and Sophie (maiden name, Baker) Chwatt; married Roxanne, 1947 (divorced); married Helayne McNorton, December 8, 1949 (divorced January, 1963); married Alicia Pratt, January 27, 1964 (marriage ended); married Sean Morgress, 1999; children: Amy. Addresses: Agent: William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2775.; Contact: 778 Tortuoso Way, Los Angeles, CA.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, comedian
Birth Details: February 5, 1919; New York, New York

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
(Film debut; as Corporal Red Buttons) Whitey and Andrews Sister, Winged Victory, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1944
Dispatcher, 13 Rue Madeleine, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1946
Himself, Footlight Varieties of 1951, 1951
Joe Kelly, Sayonara, Warner Bros., 1957
Corporal Chan Derby, Imitation General, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1958
Randy Sherman, The Big Circus, Allied Artists, 1959
Pockets, Hatari! (also known as The African Story), Paramount, 1961
(Uncredited) Military police sergeant, One Two Three, United Artists, 1961
Private John Steele, The Longest Day, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1962
Donald O'Shay, Five Weeks in a Balloon, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1962
Voice of Robespierre, Gay Purr-ee (animated), Warner Bros., 1962
Flight Officer Simon Shelley, A Ticklish Affair, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1963
Arthur Landau, Harlow, Paramount, 1965
Private First Class Harry Devine, Up from the Beach, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1965
Shorty Younger, Your Cheatin' Heart, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1965
Mr. Peacock, Stagecoach, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1966
Sailor, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Cinerama, 1969
Mickey, Who Killed Mary What's 'er Name? (also known as Death of a Hooker), Cannon, 1971
James Martin, The Poseidon Adventure, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1972
Ivan Cooper, Gable and Lombard, Universal, 1976
Hoagy, Pete's Dragon, Buena Vista, 1977
Ben Andrews, Viva Knievel! (also known as Seconds to Live),Warner Bros., 1977
Peanuts, "Dynamite Hands," and Jinks Murphy, "Baxter's Beauties of 1933,"Movie Movie, Warner Bros., 1979
Bracken, C.H.O.M.P.S., American International, 1979
Francis Fendly, When Time Ran Out (also known as The Day the World Ended and Earth's Final Fury), Warner Bros., 1980
Charlie, 18 Again, New World, 1988
Charlie, 18 Again!, 1988
Himself, George Burns--His Wit and Wisdom, 1989
Elias Zacharai, The Ambulance, 1990
Walter Zakuto, It Could Happen to You, TriStar, 1994
Arnie Jordan, The Story of Us, Warner Bros., 1999
Television Appearances
Series
Host, The Red Buttons Show, CBS, 1952-1954 then NBC, 1954-1955
Henry Wadsworth Phyfe (title role), The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, ABC, 1966
Dean Martin's Celebrity Roast, NBC, 1974-1979
Al Baker, Knots Landing, CBS, 1987-1988
Movies
Pipes, Breakout, NBC, 1970
Red Cleveland, Louis Armstrong--Chicago Style, ABC, 1976
Marty Rand, Telethon, ABC, 1977
Warren Ambrose, The Users, ABC, 1978
Bruce Benson, The Dream Merchants, syndicated, 1980
Solly Weiss, Power, NBC, 1980
Harry Hubbell, Side Show, NBC, 1981
Roland Green, Leave 'em Laughing, CBS, 1981
Seymour Saltz, Off Your Rocker, 1982
White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland (also known as Alice throughthe Looking Glass), CBS, 1985
Jiggs Quealy, Reunion at Fairborough, HBO, 1985
Pilots
Ashley Norman, The New, Original Wonder Woman, ABC, 1975

Luke Flannery, Flannery and Quilt, NBC, 1976
Willie Clark, The Sunshine Boys, NBC, 1977
Tommy Cirko, Vega$ (also known as High Roller), ABC, 1978
Specials
Hansel, Hansel and Gretel, NBC, 1958
Murder at NBC (A Bob Hope Special), NBC, 1966
The Bob Hope Show, NBC, 1969
Sam Harris, George M!, NBC, 1970
The Bob Hope Show, NBC, 1973
Sam Harris, George M!, CBS, 1976
Joys (also known as Bob Hope Special: Bob Hope in "Joys"),NBC, 1976
Voice, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (animated), ABC, 1979
George Burns Celebrates Eighty Years in Show Business, NBC, 1983
Bob Hope Special: Bob Hope's Super Birthday Special, NBC, 1984
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, NBC, 1984
The World's Funniest Commercial Goofs, ABC, 1985
The Night of 100 Stars II, ABC, 1985
The Thirty-Eighth Annual Emmy Awards, NBC, 1986
NBC's Sixtieth Anniversary Celebration, NBC, 1986
Dom DeLuise and Friends, Part 4, ABC, 1986
Funny, ABC, 1986
George Burns' Ninetieth Birthday Special, CBS, 1986
Las Vegas: An All Star Seventy-Fifth Anniversary, ABC, 1987
The First Annual American Comedy Awards, ABC, 1987
Jackie Gleason: The Great One (also known as How Sweet It Is: AWake for Jackie Gleason), CBS, 1988
The 11th Annual ACE Awards, syndicated, 1990
George Burns' Ninety-Fifth Birthday Party, CBS, 1991
Tom Arnold: The Naked Truth 2, HBO, 1992
Himself, Let Me In, I Hear Laughter (documentary), Cinemax, 1999
Episodic
"The Tale of St. Emergency," Studio One, CBS, 1956
"A Marriage of Strangers, Playhouse 90, CBS, 1959
"The Tallest Marine," General Electric Theatre, CBS, 1959
"Something Special," Ford Star Time, NBC, 1959
"The Case of the Missing Wife," U.S. Steel Hour, CBS, 1960
"Tippy-Top," General Electric Theatre, CBS, 1961
"Never Won Fair Lady," Frontier Circus, CBS, 1962
"All the Hard Young Men," Saints and Sinners, NBC, 1962
"Sunday Father," Eleventh Hour, NBC, 1964
"The Last of the Strongmen," Greatest Show on Earth, ABC, 1964
The Andy Williams Show, 1965
"Journeys End in Lovers Meeting," Ben Casey, ABC, 1965
"The Zero Man," Danny Thomas Hour, NBC, 1967
"Love and the Geisha," Love, American Style, ABC, 1969
Alexander Foster, "Alexander," ABC Afterschool Special, ABC, 1973
O'Hara, "The Circus Man," Little House on the Prairie, NBC, 1975
Ashley Norman, "The New Original Wonder Woman," Wonder Woman, ABC,1975
Vaudeville, syndicated, 1975
Uncle Cyrus, "Julie's Aunt," The Love Boat, ABC, 1978
The Comedy Shop, syndicated, 1978
"Toughest Man Alive," Fantasy Island, ABC, 1978
"The Gift," The Love Boat, ABC, 1979
"Happing Ending," The Love Boat, ABC, 1979
"Cornelius and Alphonse," Fantasy Island, ABC, 1979
Aloha Paradise, ABC, 1981
"Discount Romance," The Love Boat, ABC, 1983
"King of Burlesque," Fantasy Island, ABC, 1983
Toots, "The Audit," 227, NBC, 1987
Himself, "Force Boxman," It's Gary Shandling's Show, Showtime, 1987
Jake, "Cliff and Jake," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1991
Jake, "Playing with Matches," Roseanne, ABC, 1993
Jake, "Body by Jake," Roseanne, ABC, 1994
Jules "Ruby" Rubadoux, "A Miracle Happens Here," ER, NBC, 1995
Jules "Ruby" Rubadoux, "Dead of Winter," ER, NBC, 1996
Jules "Ruby" Rubadoux, "True Lies," ER, NBC, 1996
Jules "Ruby" Rubadoux, "The Right Thing," ER, NBC, 1996
Mr. Tibbles, "My Dinner with Methuseleh," Cosby, CBS, 1997
Walter Stiets, "Pinch Hitters," Early Edition, CBS, 1999
Carl Porter, "Second Chance," Family Law, CBS, 2000
Also appeared in Suspense, CBS.
Stage Appearances
The Admiral Had a Wife, 1941
(Broadway debut) Vicki, Plymouth Theatre, 1942
Wine, Women, and Song, Ambassador Theatre, New York City, 1942
Winged Victory, 44th Street Theatre, New York City, 1943
Barefoot Boy with Cheek, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1947
Hold It, National Theatre, New York City, 1948
Buttons on Broadway, Ambassador Theatre, 1995
Also appeared in Tender Trap; Play It Again, Sam; and The Teahouse of the August Moon.

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