Abbott worked in carnivals while still a child and dropped out of school in 1909. He worked as assistant treasurer for the Casino Theater in Brooklyn, then as treasurer or manager of various theaters around the country. He worked as straight man to vaudeville performers such as Harry Steepe and Harry Evanson while managing the National Theater in Detroit, and, in 1931 while cashiering at the Brooklyn theater, he substituted for comic Lou Costello's ill straightman. The two formed their famous comedy team and, through the 1930s, they worked burlesque, minstrel shows, vaudeville and movie houses. In 1938 they got national exposure through the 'Kate Smith' Hour radio show, and signed with Universal the next year for their film debut in One Night in the Tropics. Their 1941 movie Buck Privates, with the Andrews Sisters, grossed what was then a company record $10 million, and in 1942 they topped a poll of Hollywood stars. They had their own radio show (ABC, 1941-6, NBC, 1946-9) and TV show (The Abbott and Costello Show). After the war their movies shifted formula to one in which they met various monsters or found themselves in exotic locations. The team split up in 1957 with both members completely out of money after troubles with the Internal Revenue Service. Abbott started over with a new partner, Candy Candido, in the 1960s but failed. In 1966 he did voice for a cartoon version of their television show.
Jack and the Beanstalk (1952): $250,000
Who Done It? (1942): $25,000 + 5% of profits
Rio Rita (1942): $75,000
Hold That Ghost (1941): $25,000 + 5% of profits
In the Navy (1941): $25,000 + 5% of profits
Buck Privates (1941): $25,000 + 5% of profits
One Night in the Tropics (1940): $17,500

He was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean His mother was a bareback rider for the Ringling Bothers Circus. Pictured on one of five 29¢ US commemorative postage stamps celebrating famous comedians, issued in booklet form 29 August 1991. He is shown with his partner Lou Costello. The stamp designs were drawn by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. The other comedians honored in the set are Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; Edgar Bergen (with alter ego Charlie McCarthy); Jack Benny; and Fanny Brice. At Lou Costello's insistance, the monies earned from the their act were split 60/40, favoring Abbott. Costello's reasoning was that "comics are a dime a dozen. Good straight men are hard to find." He and Lou Costello are the only two non-sportsmen honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, for their "Who's On First" routine. Father of actor Bud Abbott Jr. Abbott and Costello are known in Italy as "Gianni and Pinotto", Abbott being Gianni and Costello being Pinotto. With Lou Costello, starred on ABC (1941-1946) and NBC (1946-1949) Radio's "The Abbott and Costello Show." A lifelong epileptic, he died of cancer following two strokes. Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith; pg. 1-3. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 When Lou Costello died in March 1959, a nationally run news photo showed him reading a newspaper article covering his former partner's death. He wore a front toupee for many of his early films. Film acting debut, along with his comedic partner Lou Costello, came in 1940 in "One Night In The Tropics." His sister, Olive Victoria Abbott, was also in Vaudeville and lived to be 100 years old, dying on 8th August, 1997. His father, Harry, was a publicity advance man for Barnum and Bailey Circus. Very soon after Lou Costello's death the IRS demanded Bud pay over $750,000 in back taxes. Bud was forced (at a loss) to sell his estate in Encino, California as well as his 200 acre ranch. His wife sold her jewelry and furs and they relinquished their remaining share of profits from the old, lucrative Universal movies. He said he'd have to start all over and begged for donations, with little results. In September, 2003, Montclair State University in New Jersey dedicated a building in their new residence hall complex as "Abbott and Costello Center", after Bud and his partner Lou Costello