Pat Buttram facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pat Buttram
Buttram in 1970
Born	Maxwell Emmett Buttram (1915-06-19)June 19, 1915 Addison, Alabama, U.S.
Died	January 8, 1994(1994-01-08) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Maxwell Chapel, United Methodist Church, Haleyville, Alabama, U.S.
Alma mater	Birmingham-Southern College
Occupation	Actor, writer
Years active	1970–1995
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Dorothy McFadden ​ ​ (m. 1936; div. 1946)​ Sheila Ryan ​ ​ (m. 1952; died 1975)​
Children	2 (1 adopted)

Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram (born June 19, 1915 – died January 8, 1994) was an American actor. He was known for playing funny or unique characters. Pat Buttram was famous for being the helper, or "sidekick," to the cowboy star Gene Autry. He also played the character Mr. Haney in the TV show Green Acres. Pat had a very special voice that he joked "never quite made it through puberty."

Pat Buttram's Early Life

Pat Buttram was born on June 19, 1915, in Addison, Alabama. His father, Wilson McDaniel Buttram, was a Methodist minister. His mother was Mary Emmett Maxwell. Pat was the youngest of seven children. When he was about one year old, his family moved to Nauvoo, Alabama.

Pat went to Mortimer Jordan High School in Morris, Alabama. After high school, he went to Birmingham–Southern College. He planned to study to become a Methodist minister, just like his father.

Pat Buttram's Acting Career

While in college, Pat Buttram enjoyed performing in plays. He also started working on a local radio station. Soon, he became a regular on a popular radio show called National Barn Dance in Chicago. He even had his own show on the CBS radio network.

Pat Buttram in 1944, early in his career

In the 1940s, Pat moved to Hollywood to become an actor. He first tried to work with cowboy star Roy Rogers. However, Roy already had two regular sidekicks, so Pat didn't get the job.

Then, Gene Autry chose Pat to be his sidekick. Gene Autry had just returned from serving in World War II. Pat Buttram acted with Gene Autry in more than 40 movies. He also appeared in over 100 episodes of Gene Autry's TV show. Their first movie together was The Strawberry Roan in 1948.

Pat also joined Gene Autry on his radio show, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. Later, he worked on The Gene Autry Show on television. In the first TV season, Pat used different last names for his characters. But from the second season on, he used his own name, Pat Buttram.

Famous TV Roles and Voice Acting

Pat Buttram played the well-known character Mr. Eustace Haney in the TV comedy Green Acres. This show ran from 1965 to 1971. Mr. Haney was a tricky salesman who always tried to sell things to the main characters.

Pat was also a talented voice actor for many Disney animated movies.

• He was Napoleon, the hound dog, in The Aristocats.
• He voiced the Sheriff of Nottingham, a wolf, in Robin Hood.
• He played Luke, the muskrat, in The Rescuers.
• He was Chief, the hunting dog, in The Fox and the Hound.
• He also voiced one of the Toon bullets in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Later in his career, Pat had a regular voice role as Cactus Jake on the cartoon show Garfield and Friends. One of his last movie roles was a small part in Back to the Future Part III. His very last voice-over job was for A Goofy Movie, which came out after he passed away. Pat Buttram also helped write two episodes of the TV show Hee Haw in 1969 and 1970.

Pat Buttram once made a famous comment about how TV shows changed in the 1970s. Many shows with a country setting, like Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Petticoat Junction, were canceled. He joked that "CBS canceled everything with a tree in it – including Lassie."

In 1987, Pat Buttram and Gene Autry reunited for a show called "Melody Ranch Theater" on The Nashville Network. They showed classic Western movies and shared stories about making the films.

Pat Buttram's Personal Life

In 1936, Pat Buttram married Dorothy McFadden. They adopted a daughter, but they divorced in 1946. In 1952, he married actress Sheila Ryan. They stayed together until she passed away in 1975. They had a daughter named Kathrine, who was born in 1954.

Pat Buttram stopped acting regularly in 1980. He moved back to his home in Winston County, Alabama. However, he often returned to California for public appearances.

Pat Buttram was a strong supporter of the Republican Party. He even helped Ronald Reagan add funny jokes to his speeches. In 1993, when Bill Clinton and Al Gore became president and vice president, Pat was surprised that many Hollywood actors liked their "country-boy image." His niece, Mary Buttram Young, said that Pat would always say, "I'm from Alabama – I can see right through that."

Pat Buttram's Death and Legacy

Pat Buttram passed away in 1994 at the age of 78. He died from kidney failure in Los Angeles, California. He is buried in the cemetery at the Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church in Alabama.

Pat Buttram was honored for his contributions to entertainment. In 1988, he received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also has a star on the "Alabama Stars of Fame" in Birmingham, Alabama.

Pat Buttram's Filmography

Pat Buttram's Television Credits

See Also

• In Spanish: Pat Buttram para niños