Bud Abbott life and biography

William Alexander Abbott aka Bud Abott is a legendary American Actor, producer and comedian from Asbury Park, New Jersey. Abbott is best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.

Abbott, whose mother was a bareback rider for the Ringling Bothers Circus, dropped out of school as a child in 1909, and began working in carnivals. Abbott eventually started working in theaters around the county, eventually becoming the manager for the Nation Theater in Detroit. While at the National Theater, Abbott began performing on stage as straight man to vaudeville performers like Harry Steepe and Harry Evanson.

Abbott met Costello in 1931 while working as a cashier at the Brooklyn Theater, when he was asked to fill in for Costello's straight man, who was ill. Throughout the 1930s, Abbott and Costello began performing together in burlesque shows, minstrel shows, vaudeville and movie houses.
At Costello's request, all profits earned from the act were split 60/40, favoring Abbott, because, according to Costello, "comics are a dime a dozen. Good straight men are hard to find."

In 1938 they received national exposure for the first time by performing on the Kate Smith Hour radio show, which lead to the duo signing with Universal the following year. Abbot and Costello released their first film in 1940 entitled, One Night in the Tropics. Although Abbott and Costello were only filling supporting roles in the film, they stole the film with their classic routing Who's On First?.

Within a couple of years, the comedy team had also their own television and radio shows.
Abbott and Costello split up in 1957, after troubles with the Internal Revenue Service that left both men broke.
Abbott attempted to begin performing again in the 1960s, with a new partner, Candy Candido, but their efforts were not successful.

The actor was married for 55 years to Betty Abbott. The couple adopted two children: Bud Jr. in 1942 and Vickie in 1949. Bud Jr. died on January 19, 1997 at the age of 57.

Abbott suffered from epilepsy throughout his life. In the early 1960s, he suffered the first in a series of strokes. In 1972, he broke his hip and shortly after that was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Abbott died of the disease at the age of 76 on April 24, 1974, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. His wife Betty died on September 12, 1981 at the age of 79.

Bud Abbott has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: the radio star is located on 6333 Hollywood Boulevard, the motion pictures star is located on 1611 Vine Street, and the TV star is located on 6740 Hollywood Boulevard.
Abbott received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting (posthumously) from the Garden State Film Festival in 2006 and was accepted on his behalf by his daughter Vickie Abbott Wheeler.

Abbott is a 2009 inductee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame

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