Buddy Ebsen - Overview

Date of Birth: Apr 02, 1908 Date of Death: Jul 06, 2003

Place of Birth: Belleville, Illinois, USA

Nationality: United States

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Full Biography

Buddy Ebsen was a tall, not particularly handsome, somewhat gangly hoofer who performed an amazing rope-like dance number on stage with his sister Vilma. With the encouragement of his father, who operated a dance studio, he was partnered with his sister as a youngster. Not unlike Fred and Adele Astaire, the Ebsens toured in vaudeville and hit Broadway in the 1920s. The duo danced in "Whoopee" and in one of the last editions of the "Ziegfeld Follies" (1934).

Hollywood beckoned and Buddy and Vilma were seen in "Broadway Melody of 1936" (1935) before Vilma retired from show business. Although an MGM contract player, Ebsen was loaned to Fox for "Captain January" (1936), in which he was a ship's hand who danced with Shirley Temple--de rigeur for a screen hoofer of the period. In 1938, MGM producer Mervyn LeRoy cast Ebsen as The Tin Man in the film version of "The Wizard of Oz" set to be released in 1939. Ebsen filmed several sequences before landing in the hospital after the metallic dust from the character's make-up had clogged his lungs. Jack Haley replaced hi... Read More

Filmography (12)

That's Entertainment! III (1994)

The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)

The Interns (1962)

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Attack! (1956)

Between Heaven and Hell (1956)

Photos (1)

Milestones (18)

1998
Underwent heart surgery to replace an aortic valve

1995
Published autobiography, "The Other Side of Oz"

1993
Reprised Barnaby Jones in "The Beverly Hillbillies" feature film

1984
Campaigned against former co-star Nancy Kulp in her bid for a Pennsylvania congressional seat

1981
Reprised Jed Clampett in TV-movie

1961
Portrayed Audrey Hepburn's husband in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

1954 - 1955
TV series debut as George Russell in "Disneyland: The Adventures of Davy Crockett"

Photos From Last Movie