Bud Abbott Biography

Fast Facts

• Was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2009
• The Garden State Film Festival posthumously honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting in 2006
• Though they were never officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as is sometimes rumored, a plaque honoring Abbott and Costello, along with a gold record and a transcript of their "Who's On First?" sketch were added to the museum in 1956
• Cancer took his like in 1974 while he was at his home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles
• As a child, he worked for his father in the box office of the Casino Theater in Brooklyn
• A guest appearance on the Kate Smith radio show in 1938 catapulted his comedy team to fame
• Started out performing in burlesque in 1936, then moved into vaudeville
• His and Lou Costello's trademark skit was their fast-talking, baseball themed "Who's on First?"
• Played straight man to the bumbling Lou Costello in the 1940s and 1950s in their popular slapstick comedy team
• Was an active member of the Freemasons and the Shriners