William
Alexander Abbott aka Bud Abbott (October 2, 1895 –
April 24, 1974) is a legendary American actor, producer
and comedian from Asbury Park, New Jersey. He is best
known as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott
and Costello, with Lou Costello
Abbott, whose mother was a bareback rider for the Ringling
Brothers Circus, dropped out of school as a child in
1909 and began working in carnivals. Abbott later started
working in theaters around the country, eventually becoming
the manager for the Nation Theater in Detroit. While
at the National Theater, Abbott began performing on
stage as straight man to vaudeville performers like
Harry Steepe and Harry Evanson.
Abbott met Costello in 1931 while
working as a cashier at the Brooklyn Theater, when
he was asked to fill in for Costello's straight man
who was ill. Throughout the 1930s, Abbott and Costello
began performing together in burlesque shows, minstrel
shows, vaudeville, and movie houses.
At Costello's request, all profits
earned from the act were split 60/40, favoring Abbott,
because, according to Costello, "Comics are a
dime a dozen. Good straight men are hard to find."
In 1938 they received national exposure
for the first time by performing on the Kate Smith
Hour radio show, which led to the duo signing with
Universal the following year. Abbott and Costello
appeared in their first film in 1940, a movie entitled
One Night in the Tropics. Although Abbott and Costello
were only filling supporting roles, they stole the
film with their classic routine "Who's On First?"
(Abbott and Costello are the only two non-baseball
players honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum
in Cooperstown, New York, because of their legendary
"Who's On First?" routine.)
During World War II, Abbott was elected
Mayor of Sherman Oaks, California.
Within a couple of years, the comedy
team also had their own television and radio shows.
Abbott and Costello split up in 1957,
after troubles with the Internal Revenue Service had
left both men broke.
Abbott attempted to begin performing
again in the 1960s, with a new partner, Candy Candido,
but their efforts were not successful. On screen,
he performed in a dramatic episode of General Electric
Theater in 1961 and later provided his own voice for
the animated series Abbott and Costello.
Bud Abbott has three stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame: the radio star is located
on 6333 Hollywood Blvd., motion pictures star is located
on 1611 Vine St., and the TV star is located on 6740
Hollywood Blvd.
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
More Articles..
