Buddy Hackett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buddy Hackett
Hackett in 1973
Born	Leonard Hacker (1924-08-31)August 31, 1924 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Died	June 30, 2003(2003-06-30) (aged 78) Malibu, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor comedian singer
Years active	1950–2000
Spouse(s)	Sherry Cohen ​ (m. 1955)​
Children	3; including Sandy Hackett

Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was a famous American actor, comedian, and singer. He was known for his funny voice and unique way of speaking. Buddy Hackett starred in many popular movies and TV shows.

Some of his most famous roles include Marcellus Washburn in The Music Man (1962) and Benjy Benjamin in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Kids might know him best as Tennessee Steinmetz in The Love Bug (1968) and as the voice of Scuttle the seagull in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989).

Early Life and First Jobs

Buddy Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, into a Jewish family. His mother, Anna, worked in clothing, and his father, Philip, fixed furniture. Buddy grew up in Borough Park, Brooklyn. He was active in football and drama club at New Utrecht High School. As a child, Buddy had a condition called Bell's palsy. This condition affected his face and speech, which later became part of his unique comedy style.

While still a student, Buddy worked as a "tummler" in the Catskills resorts. A "tummler" was someone who entertained guests and made a lot of noise and fun. He started doing stand-up comedy there, calling himself "Butch Hacker." After high school in 1942, Buddy joined the United States Army. He served for three years during World War II in an anti-aircraft unit.

Buddy Hackett's Career Beginnings

After the war, Buddy Hackett got his first job at a club in Brooklyn called the Pink Elephant. This is where he changed his name from Leonard Hacker to Buddy Hackett. He started performing in big cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and also continued in the Catskills. He even acted on Broadway in a play called Lunatics and Lovers.

Buddy Hackett's movie career began in 1950. He appeared in a short film about bowling called King of the Pins. In this film, he showed the wrong way to bowl in a funny pantomime. There was a rumor that he was offered a spot with The Three Stooges in 1952, but he decided to focus on his own solo comedy act instead.

He returned to movies in 1953 after one of his comedy routines became very popular. This routine was called "The Chinese Waiter." Buddy would put a rubber band around his head to make his eyes slanted and act like a busy waiter in a Chinese restaurant. This routine was so funny that he recorded it and performed it in the movie Walking My Baby Back Home (1953).

In 1954, Buddy Hackett stepped in to replace actor Lou Costello in a movie. Lou Costello was sick, so Buddy and Hugh O'Brian took over the main roles in the film Fireman, Save My Child.

Becoming a TV Star

Buddy Hackett became well-known to many people in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a frequent guest on popular TV talk shows hosted by Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey. He would tell jokes and make funny faces at the camera. He was a very common guest on The Tonight Show, both when Jack Paar hosted it and later when Johnny Carson was the host. Some say he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson more than any other guest!

During this time, he also appeared on game shows. He was a panelist on CBS-TV's What's My Line? and even hosted the game show Treasure Hunt sometimes. He also appeared many times on The Perry Como Show. Buddy even had a comedy duo with his roommate Lenny Bruce called the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players." This was 20 years before the cast of Saturday Night Live used the same name!

Buddy Hackett also appeared twice on the TV show The Rifleman. In these episodes, he played different characters, including a father and a handyman.

Starring in Stanley

Buddy Hackett starred in his own TV show called Stanley from 1956 to 1957. It was a comedy that aired on Monday evenings. The show also featured a young Carol Burnett and the voice of Paul Lynde. Stanley was filmed live in front of a studio audience in New York City. Buddy played the main character, who ran a newsstand in a fancy New York City hotel.

L–R: Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, Ethel Merman, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, and Buddy Hackett in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

Buddy Hackett appeared with Robert Preston in the movie The Music Man (1962). In the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Buddy was paired with Mickey Rooney. They had also recently made another movie together called Everything's Ducky (1961), where they played two sailors who smuggled a talking duck onto a Navy ship. Many children came to know Buddy Hackett as the kind and funny car mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz in Disney's The Love Bug (1968).

In 1964, he returned to Broadway in a show called I Had a Ball. He was also a frequent guest on the game show Hollywood Squares in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Later Career Highlights

Buddy Hackett continued to appear on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show until Carson retired in 1992.

In 1974, Buddy Hackett published a book of poetry called The Naked Mind of Buddy Hackett.

In 1978, Buddy Hackett gave a serious performance as Lou Costello in the TV movie Bud and Lou. He acted opposite Harvey Korman, who played Bud Abbott. The movie told the story of the famous comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Buddy and Harvey even performed a version of their well-known "Who's on First?" routine.

In 1979, Buddy Hackett was the voice of the groundhog "Pardon Me Pete" and the narrator in the Christmas TV special Jack Frost. He also starred in the 1980 film Hey Babe!. That same year, he hosted a new version of the game show You Bet Your Life, which was originally hosted by Groucho Marx.

Buddy Hackett was also famous for his TV commercials. He appeared in ads for Tuscan Dairy popsicles and yogurt in the 1970s. His most famous commercials were for Lay's potato chips with the slogan "Nobody can eat just one!" He was the spokesman for Lay's from 1968 to 1971. He also guest-starred in TV shows like The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote.

Awards and Final Years

For his work in movies, Buddy Hackett received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, he also received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars.

In April 1998, Buddy Hackett was a guest star in an episode of LateLine. The episode was about a news broadcast mistakenly reporting his death.

In his final years, Buddy Hackett had a regular segment called "Tuesdays with Buddy" on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. He would share stories from his career and perform some of his comedy routines.

In 1999, he appeared in 13 episodes of the TV series Action as a security guard and driver named Lonnie Dragon.

In 2021, Buddy Hackett was honored by being inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

On June 12, 1955, Buddy Hackett married Sherry Cohen. They lived in Leonia, New Jersey, for a few years. In 1958, they bought a house in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where they lived for most of the 1960s. In 2003, Buddy and Sherry started the Singita Animal Sanctuary in California to help animals.

Buddy Hackett's son, Sandy Hackett, also became a comedian. Sandy often performed before his father's shows. After Buddy's death, Sandy created a one-man stage show about his father's life.

Death

In the early 1990s, Buddy Hackett was diagnosed with a serious heart disease. He passed away on June 30, 2003, at his beach house in Malibu, California, at the age of 78. His son, Sandy Hackett, said that his father had also been suffering from diabetes for several years. Buddy Hackett was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family and friends.

Discography

• How You Do (Coral CRL 757422)
• The Original Chinese Waiter (Dot 3351, reissued as Pickwick SPC 3198)
• Ba-Lert

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

See also

In Spanish: Buddy Hackett para niños