Within hours of hearing of Red Buttons’ death his fellow actors announced that they plan to memorialize the Academy Award-winner with a star-studded tribute.
The 87-year-old redheaded comic whose career spanned from the days of vaudeville to guests spots on “The Cosby Show” and “Roseanne,” died of vascular disease at his Los Angeles home on Thursday. According to news reports, Buttons had been battling the disease for some time and was “with family members when he died.”
Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt) got his famous nickname when he was a young singing waiter whose uniform had a lot of buttons on it. Not red ones. The name “Red” referred to his carrot top.
Buttons was able to parlay his success as a singing waiter to a long and successful career singing on his own variety show, TV’s “The Red Buttons Show.” While Buttons also made a name for himself as a Borscht Belt comic, arguably the high point of his career came in 1957 when he played Airman Joe Kelly in the film adaptation of the James Michener World War II novel, Sayonara, starring Marlon Brando. In the movie, Buttons’ character marries a Japanese woman, but sadly the relationship is marred by prejudice and both characters choose to commit suicide than continue to endure the intolerance that surrounded their relationship. It was for his role in Sayonara that Buttons won his Supporting Actor Oscar. From there Buttons went on to star in a number of movies including, The Big Circus, Hatari! The Longest Day, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? The Poseidon Adventure and Pete’s Dragon.
“He proved it was no accident by winning an Oscar that comedians can be in movies,” said fellow legendary comedian Jack Carter. “He was more than a comedian, he was a wise man.”
Carter said Buttons was especially popular at celebrity roasts and other gatherings of comedians. “Red never had an actual act. His act was his life, and that’s why it came so naturally,” Carter said. “He was brilliant at it.”
Details of a memorial for the famed actor have yet to be released.