The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to show business at the age of 7 by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At age 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at age 15. At age 17, he married Edna Marie Stilwell, an usher who became his vaudeville partner and later his chief writer and manager. He debuted on Broadway and radio in 1937 and on film in 1938. His ex-wife/manager negotiated a seven-year Hollywood contract for him in 1951, the same year The Red Skelton Hour (1951) premiered on NBC. For two decades, until 1971, his show consistently stayed in the top twenty, both on NBC and CBS. His numerous characters, including Clem Kaddiddlehopper, George Appleby, and the seagulls Gertrude and Heathcliffe delighted audiences for decades. First and foremost, he considered himself a clown, although not the greatest, and his paintings of clowns brought in a fortune after he left television. His home life was not completely happy--two divorces and a son Richard who died of leukemia at age 9--and he did not hang around with other comedians. He continued performing live until illness, and he was a longtime supporter of children's charities. Red Skelton died at age 84 of pneumonia in Rancho Mirage, California, on September 17, 1997. Red is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Benediction.

Filmography

• 2005Pioneers of Primetime
• 2005Red Skelton: America's Greatest Clown — Red Skelton
• 1999Television: The First Fifty Years — Buffalo Bob Smith / Howdy Doody (archive footage)
• 1985That's Dancing! — From 'Bathing Beauty' (archive footage)
• 1981Freddie the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner — Freddie the Freeloader
• 1979The Hollywood Clowns — (archive footage)
• 1976America on Parade — Host, Writer
• 1976Rudolph's Shiny New Year — Father Time / Baby Bear (voice)
• 1976That's Entertainment, Part II — (archive footage)
• 1974That's Entertainment! — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1966Clown Alley — Freddie the Freeloader, Writer
• 1965Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes — The Neanderthal Man
• 1964The Big Parade of Comedy — Aubrey Filmore in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage)
• 1957Public Pigeon No. 1 — Rusty Morgan
• The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour — Red Skeleton
• 1956Around the World in 80 Days — Drunk in Barbary Coast Saloon
• 1955Red Skelton Christmas Classics — Main
• Climax! — Rusty Morgan
• 1954Susan Slept Here — Oswald from North Dakota (uncredited)
• 1954The Great Diamond Robbery — Ambrose C. Park
• 1953Half a Hero — Ben Dobson
• 1953The Clown — Dodo Delwyn
• 1952Lovely to Look At — Al Marsh
• 1951Excuse My Dust — Joe Belden
• 1951Texas Carnival — Cornie Quinell
• The Red Skelton Show — Host, Producer, Writer
• The Bob Hope Show — Self, Writer
• 1950The Fuller Brush Girl — Red Skelton - Fuller Brush Man (uncredited)
• The Jack Benny Program — Red Skelton
• 1950The Yellow Cab Man — Augustus 'Red' Pirdy
• 1950Three Little Words — Harry Ruby
• 1950Watch the Birdie — Rusty Cammeron / Pop Cammeron / Grandpop Cammeron
• 1949Neptune's Daughter — Jack Spratt
• 1948A Southern Yankee — Aubrey Filmore
• Texaco Star Theater — Clem Kadiddlehopper
• 1948The Fuller Brush Man — Red Jones
• 1947Merton of the Movies — Merton Gill aka Clifford Armytage
• 1946The Show-Off — J. Aubrey Piper
• 1945Ziegfeld Follies — J. Newton Numbskull (segment "When Television Comes")
• 1944Bathing Beauty — Steve Elliott
• 1944Twenty Years After — (archive footage)
• 1943Du Barry Was a Lady — Louis Blore / King Louis
• 1943I Dood It — Joseph 'Joe' Rivington Renolds
• 1943Thousands Cheer — Red Skelton
• 1943Whistling in Brooklyn — Wally 'The Fox' Benton
• 1942Maisie Gets Her Man — Herbert P. 'Hap' Hixby
• 1942Panama Hattie — Red
• 1942Ship Ahoy — Merton K. Kibble
• 1942Whistling in Dixie — Wally Benton
• 1941Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day — Vernon Briggs
• 1941Lady Be Good — Joe 'Red' Willet
• 1941The People Vs. Dr. Kildare — Vernon Briggs
• 1941Whistling in the Dark — Wally Benton
• 1940Flight Command — Lieut. 'Mugger' Martin
• 1939Seeing Red — Red / Doorman / Coatroom Attendant / Waiter / Emcee
• 1939The Broadway Buckaroo — Red
• 1938Having Wonderful Time — Itchy

Appearances as themselves (24)

• 2026A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride — Self (Archival)
• 2004Elf: Christmas in Tinseltown — Self (archive)
• 2001Red Skelton: Bloopers, Blunders, and Ad Libs — Himself (Host)/Various Characters
• 1995Inside the Dream Factory — Self
• 1987A Tribute to Houdini — Self
• 1985Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers — Self (archive footage)
• 1984Red Skelton: A Royal Command Performance — Himself
• 1977The People's Command Performance: '77 — Self
• 1970Honor America Day — Self
• 1970Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary TV Special — Self (uncredited)
• 1970Swing Out, Sweet Land — Self
• 1968The Dean Martin Christmas Show — Self (uncredited)
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• 1960Ocean's Eleven — Self
• 1960The Man in the Funny Suit — Self
• Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse — Self
• Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
• 1956The Country Husband — Self - Announcing Next Week's Show
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show — Self
• The Steve Allen Show — Self - Cameo / Clem Kadiddlehopper
• The Oscars — Self
• This Is Your Life — Self
• What's My Line? — Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self