The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to showbiz at the age of seven by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at 15. At 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 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 wasn't completely happy--two divorces and a son Richard who died of leukemia at age nine-- and he didn't hang around with other comedians. He continued performing live until illness, and he was a longtime supporter of children's charities.


Used his "Guzzlers Gin" comedy sketch as his successful 1940 screen test for MGM. It was later filmed in Ziegfeld Follies (1945). Skelton earned over $2.5 million annually at one time as an artist, after the cancellation of his variety show "The Red Skelton Show" (1951). His father used to be a circus clown. Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Benediction. He insisted on getting his television skits done on the first take, even if it meant ad-libbing around blown lines and failed props. In one famous incident on live television, he managed to ad-lib while a cow defecated on stage ("Not only does she give milk, but also Pet-Ritz pies!"). Inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994. Served in the U.S. Army during World War Two (1944-1945). Was the 1961 recipient of the prestigious Connor Award given by the brothers of the Phi Alpha Tau fraternity based out of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He is also an honorary brother of the fraternity. He often made reference to his second wife, Georgia, as "Little Red." His daughter Valentina was born in May, 1947. His son, Richard Freeman, was born in May, 1948. One of Red's writers filled in for him one night when he took at serious fall injuring himself. That writer's name was Johnny Carson. Although famous for his "drunk" comedy sketches, he never drank and was, in fact, allergic to alcohol. He became well-known as an outspoken proponent for the addition of the phrase "Under God" to the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. In a People Magazine interview late in his life, Skelton admitted that he fudged his officially accepted birth year, but did not elaborate. The year 1910 is sometimes given instead of 1913, but Skelton's biographer Arthur Marx claims that the comedian told close associates he was really born in 1906. Appears as the character Freddie the Freeloader on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early TV Memories issue honoring "The Red Skelton Show" (1951). The stamp was issued 11 August 2009.