Christian Ludolf "Buddy" Ebsen, Jr. was an American character actor and dancer, who played Fess Parker's sidekick in Walt Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries, Sheriff Matthew Brady in Corky and White Shadow, Calvin Bower in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, and narrated the documentary series Disney Family Album during the 1980s on the Disney Channel. He also appeared as himself in the TV documentaries and specials: Walt: The Man Behind the Myth, Kraft Salutes Disneyland's 25th Anniversary, NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney, Walt Disney: A Golden Anniversary Salute, Disneyland, U.S.A., and Dateline: Disneyland.
Born as Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois; Ebsen and his sisters learned to dance at a dance studio his father operated in Orlando, Florida. During his high school years, Ebsen became a member of John M. Cheney Chapter, Order of DeMolay. He graduated from Orlando High School in 1926 and attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, from 1926 to 1927, and then Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, from 1927 to 1928. Family financial problems caused by the collapse of the Florida land boom forced Ebsen to leave college at age 20.
Moving to New York City to try his luck as a dancer, he appeared in shows, like Whoopee, Flying Colors, and Ziegfeld Follies of 1934. In 1935, he was approached by MGM and appeared in films, like Broadway Melody of 1936, Born to Dance, Captain January, Broadway Melody of 1938, and The Girl of the Golden West. He was meant to be the original Tin Man in the 1939 musical film The Wizard of Oz, but he suffered an allergic reaction from the aluminum powder that was used for make-up and it got into his lungs and was replaced by Jack Haley.
Ebsen achieved further recognition in the 1960s as Jed Clampett in the CBS longing television show The Beverly Hillbillies and the 1970s as titular detective Barnaby Jones, a role role would reprise in the 1993 film adaptation of The Beverly Hillbillies. His other television credits included Northwest Passage, Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Bonanza, Matt Houston, Burke's Law, and King of the Hill.
Ebsen died of respiratory failure in Torrance, California, on July 6, 2003, at the age of 95 and was cremated at Pacific Crest Cemetery in Redondo Beach, California.
Roles[]
(The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ebsen was filmed dancing in front of a grid as an aid to animating Mickey Mouse's dancing in Disney's 1929 to 1939 Silly Symphonies animated shorts.
- He was one of many actors considered for the role of Bert in Mary Poppins.
External links[]
Buddy Ebsen on Wikipedia- Buddy Ebsen on IMDb
