Red Buttons
Known for Acting · 106 credits
- Born
- 1919-02-05
- Died
- 2006-07-13
- Place of birth
- New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Cpl. Red Buttons · Aaron Chwatt
Biography
Although Red Buttons is best known as a stand-up comic, he is also a successful songwriter, an Academy Award-winning actor (and has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards) and an accomplished singer. Born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 (Aquarius) in New York City's Lower East Side, stood at a height of 5' 6" (1.68 m). Buttons (who got his name from a uniform he wore while working as a singing bellhop), also known as Cpl. Red Buttons, started his show-business career singing on street corners as a child. At 16 he got a job as part of a comedy act playing the famed Catskills resort area in upstate New York (his partner was future actor Robert Alda). Buttons worked the burlesque circuit as a comic and even landed a role in a Broadway play, "Vicki", in 1942. He soon joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and in 1943 was picked for a role in Moss Hart's service play "Winged Victory" on Broadway, and soon afterwards journeyed to Hollywood to make the film version. After his discharge from the service he returned to Broadway, both in plays and as a comic with several big-band orchestras. He was successful enough that he got his own TV series, The Red Buttons Show (1952), on CBS. It lasted three years and won Buttons an Emmy for Best Comedian. He worked steadily for the next several years, and in 1957 got his big film break in the drama Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando, in which he played an American soldier stationed in Japan who struggled against the societal and racist pressures of both American and Japanese cultures because of his love for a Japanese woman. His performance garnered him an Academy Award, and more film roles followed. He played a paratrooper in The Longest Day (1962), was nominated for a Golden Globe for Harlow (1965) and again for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). He had a part in the TV series The Double Life of Henry Phyfe (1966) and has done pretty much every kind of TV show there is, from variety to comedy to soap operas. He gained further renown in the 1970s for his appearances on the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roast" where he performed his "Never Got a Dinner" act to great acclaim. He has played Las Vegas for years, has a star on Hollywood Boulevard (corner of Hollywood and Vine) and has appeared in numerous telethons and charitable events, for which he has been honored by such organizations as the Friars Club and the City of Hope Hospital. He died July 13, 2006 at the age of 87 in Century City, California, USA from vascular disease.
Known For
TV Shows (51)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
ER
1994
as Ruby
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self - Host / Self - Co-Host
The Love Boat
1977
as Cyrus Foster / Buddy Redmond
Knots Landing
1979
as Al Baker
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as William 'Willie' O'Hara
Love, American Style
1969
as Norman
Great Performances
1971
as Self
The Cosby Show
1984
as Jake Bennett
What's My Line?
1950
as Self
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
Ben Casey
1961
Studio One
1948
as St. Emergency
Early Edition
1996
as Walter Stites
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Family Law
1999
as Carl Porter
Vega$
1978
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Suspense
1949
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957
as Self
227
1985
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
Kraft Music Hall
1958
as Self
Wonder Woman
1975
as Ashley Norman
It's Garry Shandling's Show
1986
as Red Buttons
The Dean Martin Show
1965
Cosby
1996
The United States Steel Hour
1953
Startime
1959
as Joe Henders
The Hollywood Palace
1964
as Self
Street Time
2002
as Sam Kahan
The Eleventh Hour
1962
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
1973
as Self
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
Philly
2001
Roseanne
1988
Presidio Med
2002
as Chick
Saints and Sinners
1962
as Joe Roganyan
Password
1961
The Double Life of Henry Phyfe
1966
as Henry Wadsworth Phyfe
The Danny Thomas Hour
1967
Alice in Wonderland
1985
as White Rabbit
General Electric Theater
1953
as Lieutenant George Poole / Tippy-Top
Frontier Circus
1961
The Dream Merchants
1980
as Bruce Benson
Aloha Paradise
1981
as Nick
Pink Lady
1980
as Red Buttons / Police Sergeant
The Jackie Gleason Show
1966
Power
1980
as Solly Weiss
The Red Buttons Show
1952
as Host
Movies (55)
The Longest Day
1962
as Pvt. John Steele
It Could Happen to You
1994
as Walter Zakuto
The Poseidon Adventure
1972
as James Martin
The Story of Us
1999
as Arnie Jordan
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
1969
as Sailor
Hatari!
1962
as Pockets
Pete's Dragon
1977
as Hoagy
One, Two, Three
1961
as MP Sergeant (uncredited)
The Ambulance
1990
as Elias Zacharai
18 Again!
1988
as Charlie
Stagecoach
1966
as Peacock
Joys
1976
as Self
Night of 100 Stars II
1985
as Self
Sayonara
1957
as Joe Kelly
The Users
1978
as Warren Ambrose
Viva Knievel!
1977
as Ben Andrews
The Muppets Go Hollywood
1979
as Self
Winged Victory
1944
as Whitey / Andrews Sister
Harlow
1965
as Arthur Landau
Telethon
1977
as Marty Rand
Footlight Varieties
1951
as Himself
When Time Ran Out...
1980
as Francis Fendly
Movie Movie
1978
as Peanuts / Jinks Murphy
Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years
1997
as Self
Goodnight, We Love You
2004
as Self
Gable and Lombard
1976
as Ivan Cooper
Five Weeks in a Balloon
1962
as Donald O'Shay
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
1979
as Milton (voice)
Side Show
1981
as Harry Hubbell
George Burns Celebrates 80 Years in Show Business
1983
as Self
A Ticklish Affair
1963
as Flight Officer Simon 'Uncle Cy' Shelley
Gay Purr-ee
1962
as Robespierre (voice)
George Burns: His Wit and Wisdom
1989
as Self - Burns Card Play Partner (uncredited)
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958
as Self
Your Cheatin' Heart
1964
as Shorty Younger
Up from the Beach
1965
as PFC Harry Devine
Louis Armstrong: Chicago Style
1976
C.H.O.M.P.S.
1979
as Bracken
Jackie Gleason: The Great One
1988
as Self
George M!
1970
as Sam Harris
Ghosts of Fear Street
1998
as Grandpa
The Big Circus
1959
as Randy Sherman
Playboy's Playmate Party
1977
Breakout
1970
as Pipes
Murder at N.B.C.
1966
Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker
1995
as Self
Imitation General
1958
as Cpl. Chan Derby
Reunion at Fairborough
1985
as Jiggs Quealy
Who Killed Mary Whats'ername?
1971
as Mickey Isadore
Leave 'Em Laughing
1981
as Roland Green
A Marriage of Strangers
1959
as Jerry
Hansel and Gretel
1958
as Hansel
Off Your Rocker
1982
as Seymour Saltz
The New Original Wonder Woman
1975
as Ashley Norman
Flannery and Quilt
1976
as Luke Flannery
About Red Buttons
Although Red Buttons is best known as a stand-up comic, he is also a successful songwriter, an Academy Award-winning actor (and has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards) and an accomplished singer. Born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919 (Aquarius) in New York City's Lower East Side, stood at a height of 5' 6" (1.68 m). Buttons (who got his name from a uniform he wore while working as a singing bellhop), also known as Cpl. Red Buttons, started his show-business career singing on street corners as a child. At 16 he got a job as part of a co… With 106 credits spanning from 1944 to 2004, Red Buttons has appeared in 55 films and 51 TV shows.
Fans searching for Red Buttons movies, Red Buttons filmography, or the latest projects starring Red Buttons can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Red Buttons Movies
- The Longest Day (1962) — as Pvt. John Steele
- It Could Happen to You (1994) — as Walter Zakuto
- The Poseidon Adventure (1972) — as James Martin
- The Story of Us (1999) — as Arnie Jordan
- They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) — as Sailor
Where to Watch Red Buttons Films
Most Red Buttons movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Red Buttons, check our movies catalogue and browse page.