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Victor Charles Buono 1938 - 1982

Victor Charles Buono was born on February 3, 1938 in San Diego, San Diego County, California United States, and died at age 43 years old on January 1, 1982 in Apple Valley, San Bernardino County. Victor Buono was buried on January 4, 1982 at Greenwood Memorial Park and Mortuary 4300 Imperial Ave, in San Diego, San Diego County. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Victor Charles Buono.

Victor Charles Buono

February 3, 1938

San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States

January 1, 1982

Apple Valley, San Bernardino County, California, United States

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Victor Charles Buono Victor Buono (1938 - 1982)

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Victor Charles Buono's History: 1938 - 1982

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Introduction

Victor Charles Buono was an American actor, comic, and briefly a recording artist. He was known for playing the villain King Tut in the television series Batman and musician Edwin Flagg in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, the latter of which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. Born: February 3, 1938, San Diego, CA Died: January 1, 1982, Apple Valley, CA Height: 6′ 3″ Place of burial: Greenwood Memorial Park and Mortuary, CA Nominations: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, MORE Parents: Myrtle Belle, Victor Francis Buono
02/3

1938

Birthday

February 3, 1938

Birthdate

San Diego, San Diego County, California United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Born on February 3, 1938 in San Diego, California, the son of Victor Francis Buono and Myrtle Belle (née Keller), his interest in entertainment was originally encouraged by his grandmother, Myrtle Glied (1886-1969), who had once been a vaudevillian on the Orpheum Circuit. It was she who taught Victor how to sing and recite in front of company.
Professional Career

Victor Buono - Biography Born February 3, 1938 in San Diego, California, USA Died January 1, 1982 in Apple Valley, California, USA (heart attack) Birth Name Charles Victor Buono Height 6' 3" (1.91 m) Larger than life, Laughtonesque, and with an eloquent, king-sized appetite for maniacal merriment, a good portion of the work of actor Victor Buono was squandered on hokey villainy on both film and television. Ostensibly perceived as bizarre or demented, seldom did Hollywood give this cultivated cut-up the opportunity to rise above the deliciously hammy arrogance that flowed through so many of his cartoonish characters. He loved to make people laugh and while he could have approached his career with more serious attention, the real money was in his madness. In the end, the actor's chronic weight and accompanying health problems took their toll -- a fatal heart attack at the untimely age of 43 -- and a wonderful actor/writer/poet/chef had exited way before his time. Born on February 3, 1938 in San Diego, California, the son of Victor Francis Buono and Myrtle Belle (née Keller), his interest in entertainment was originally encouraged by his grandmother, Myrtle Glied (1886-1969), who had once been a vaudevillian on the Orpheum Circuit. It was she who taught Victor how to sing and recite in front of company. His initial choice of career was somewhere in the direction of medicine but the pure joy he experienced from several high school performances (playing everything from Aladdin's evil genie to Hamlet himself) led him to dismiss such sensible thinking and take on the bohemian life style of an actor. The already hefty-framed hopeful started appearing on local radio and television stations in San Diego. At age 18, he became a member of the Globe Theater Players where he was cast in Shakespeare and the classics ["Volpone", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Knight of the Burning Pestle", "The Man Who Came to Dinner", "Witness for the Prosecution", "Henry IV, Part I (as Falstaff)", "As You Like It", "Hamlet" (as Claudius)]. In 1959, a Warner Bros. agent happened to scope out the talent at the Globe Theatre and caught Victor's wonderfully robust portrayal of Falstaff (a role he would return to now and then) and gave him a screen test. Looking older than he was, the studio set upon using Victor in weird and wacky ways, such as his bearded poet Bongo Benny in an episode of 77 Sunset Strip (1958). His wry and witty demeanor, fixed stare, huge girth and goateed mug was guaranteed to put him in nearly every television crime story needing an off-the-wall character or outlandish villain. Following an unbilled appearance in The Story of Ruth (1960), Victor was intriguingly cast by director Robert Aldrich to play Edwin Flagg, the creepy musical accompanist and opportunist who tries to use one-time child celebrity Bette Davis for his own piggy bank in the gothic horror classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). He held his own beautifully opposite the scenery-chewing Davis and was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar for his efforts. This role also set the tone for the increasingly deranged characters he would go on to play. Cast as the title menace in The Strangler (1964), Victor delved wholeheartedly into the sick mind of a mother-obsessed murderer and offered a startling, tense portrayal of a child-like monster who gives new meaning to the art of "necking" with women. Director Aldrich used Victor again (albeit too briefly) for his Southern-baked "Grand Guignol" horror Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) this time as Ms. Davis' crazed father. Victor also showed up in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) starring Max von Sydow where he flamboyantly took on the High Priest Sorak role in this epic but criticized retelling of Jesus. He enhanced a number of lightweight 1960s movies including 4 for Texas (1963), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), The Silencers (1966) and Who's Minding the Mint? (1967) with his clever banter and gleeful menace. The lurid title said it all when Victor gamely took on the horror movie The Mad Butcher (1971) [aka The Strangler of Vienna] wherein he played a former mental patient preying on women again. This deranged low-budget German/Italian co-production added a "Sweeney Todd" meatpie tie in. Victor's hearty, scene-stealing antics dominated late 1960s television series. Recurring madmen included his Count Carlos Manzeppi on The Wild Wild West (1965) and King Tut who habitually wreaked havoc on Gotham City on Batman (1966). One could always find his unsympathetic presence somewhere on a prime-time channel (Perry Mason (1957), Get Smart (1965), I Spy (1965)) but his roles ended up more campy than challenging. However, one heartfelt, serious portrayal was his portrayal of President William Howard Taft in the epic miniseries Backstairs at the White House (1979). Elsewhere, he recorded a self-effacing comedy album ("Victor Buono: Heavy!") and even wrote comic poetry ("Victor Buono: It Could Be Verse". He was indeed a sought-after raconteur on daytime and nighttime talk shows. Continuing with the theatre but on a more infrequent basis, his one-man stage shows included "Just We Three", "Remembrance of Things Past" and "This Would I Keep". He also appeared as Pellinore opposite Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence in a 1975 performance of "Camelot" and earned minor cult status for his memorable performance in the play "Last of the Marx Brothers' Writers" in a return to the Old Globe Theatre in 1977. The never-married actor felt compelled to conceal his homosexuality. A well-regarded gourmet chef and an expert on Shakespeare, he died of a massive heart attack at his ranch in Apple Valley, California on January 1, 1982. Before his death was announced, Buono had just been cast in the Broadway-bound play "Whodunnit?" by Anthony Shaffer. The show finally arrived in New York without him and almost a year to his death (December 30, 1982). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh Family (2) Parents Buono, Victor Francis Buono, Myrtle Belle Relatives Myrtle Glied (grandparent) Trade Mark (4) Often played characters much older than himself Booming operatic voice Luminous aquamarine eyes. Towering height Trivia (15) Buono liked to read and write, and one of his main hobbies was Shakespeare. He was also highly regarded as a gourmet chef. Was a frequent guest on talk shows, reciting his own original poetry. Ultimately, in 1971, he recorded some of this poetry on the album "Heavy!" on a small label. Will always be remembered by baby-boomers for his roles as the nefarious King Tut and Count Carlos Manzeppi on the television series Batman (1966) and The Wild Wild West (1965), respectively. In 1980, Buono played the memory-impaired Reverend Jim Ignatowski's millionaire father on Taxi (1978). In actuality, he was only eight months older than Christopher Lloyd, who played Jim. Buono's death in 1982 was written into the series with an episode about Jim's father passing away. Became very popular on the television talk show circuit due to his wit and wisdom. He made several appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) which helped put his comedy album "Heavy!" on the map. He performed a special version of "Fat Man's Prayer", and sold over 60,000 the following week. Other cuts included "A Word to the Wide" and "We're the Most". Following his untimely death, he was interred with his mother Myrtle Buono at Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego, California. Victor Buono passed away on January 1, 1982, a month away from what would have been his 44th birthday on February 3. Victor Buono passed away 12 years to the day before Batman (1966) Special Guest Villain Cesar Romero. Attended and graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego, California. Attended and graduated from Villanova University in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania. Parents are Victor Francis Buono (1907-1981) and Myrtle Belle Buono (1909-1979). He was awarded the 1972 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Performance for "Henry IV, Part I," at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Was good friends with Adam West. Though he was thirty years younger than Bette Davis, he played her father in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Personal Quotes (4) Being on Batman (1966) allowed me to do something we actors are taught never to do: overact. In 1938, of parents properly licensed to produce babies, I was born. I am now rich, famous, devilishly handsome and thirty-three years old. And I don't anticipate a time in the future when I shall be anything other than rich, famous, devilishly handsome and thirty-three years old. I've heard or read about actors being asked the immortal question "Why have you never married?". They answer with the immortal excuse "I just haven't found the right girl." Because I'm on the hefty side, no one's asked me yet. If they do, that's the answer I'll give. After all, if it was good enough for Monty Clift or Sal Mineo... [on Shakespeare] The more you study him, the greater he grows.
Personal Life & Family

He was a great cook and loved feeding his friends.
01/1

1982

Death

January 1, 1982

Death date

Heart Attack.

Cause of death

Apple Valley, San Bernardino County, California United States
Death location

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01/4

1982

Gravesite & Burial

January 4, 1982

Funeral date
Greenwood Memorial Park and Mortuary 4300 Imperial Ave, in San Diego, San Diego County, California 92113, United States
Burial location
Obituary

VICTOR BUONO DIES ON THE COAST AT 43; KNOWN FOR PORTRAYALS OF VILLAINS By Dorothy J. Gaiter Jan. 3, 1982 Victor Buono, the character actor whose portrayal of a momma's boy in ''Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'' won an Oscar nomination in 1962, was found dead Friday morning at his home in Apple Valley, Calif. He was 43 years old. Earlier in the day Mr. Buono celebrated the new year at the home of his brother, David, in Los Angeles. His body was discovered by a caretaker. The authorities at the San Bernadino coroner's office said that the six-foot, four-inch-tall actor, who weighed nearly 400 pounds, apparently died of natural causes. They said yesterday that there had been no decision on whether to perform an autopsy. Constantine Karos, Mr. Buono's lawyer and friend for nine years, said yesterday from Los Angeles: ''I think his heart gave out. He was very overweight and had put on some weight over the holidays as well. That's almost certainly the case.'' Poems on the Joy of Eating Mr. Buono, who wrote whimsical poems about the joys of eating and his gains and losses in weight, was perhaps best known for the villainous roles he played on stage, screen and on television. He appeared in more than 25 films and in more than 20 plays at San Diego's Old Globe Theater, where he got his start playing the title character, ''Volpone,'' in the Ben Jonson play, after his graduation from high school. Mr. Buono was born in San Diego on Feb. 3, 1938. His girth made him appear much older than his years, and also helped make him a natural for starring roles in the Globe's Shakespearian festivals. Although he regularly appeared on television and in movies, he continued to perform in summer stock and in productions in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. According to Mr. Karos, death cheated Mr. Buono of his lifelong ambition: ''I'm sorry he didn't get a chance to do what he wanted to do so much, to be on Broadway.'' The actor was scheduled to appear on Broadway this spring, Mr. Karos said, in a play titled ''Who Done It,'' written by Anthony Shaffer, the author of ''Sleuth.'' His last film appearance was in 1980 as an evil shipping tycoon in ''Sam Marlowe, Private Eye.'' Among Mr. Buono's other films were ''The Strangler,'' ''Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte,'' ''The Greatest Story Ever Told,'' ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes,'' ''The Wrath of God,'' ''Robin and the Seven Hoods'' and ''Arnold.'' Commanding Stage Presence On television, he played an evil King Tut in the ''Batman'' series in the 1960's and as the mean Mr. Schubert in ''Man From Atlantis,'' in the 1970's. He also appeared in ''The Wild, Wild West,'' ''The Untouchables,'' ''77 Sunset Strip,'' and more recently as President William Howard Taft in the television series, ''Best Years at the White House.'' In thrillers, he often commanded the stage and screen with an unforgettable presence, eyes alert and winking, hand thumping his massive, vested chest as he slowly circled his prey. Mr. Karos said that Mr. Buono was ''probably one of the most intelligent people I ever met. ''He read incessantly and had a great memory and could hold his own with anybody as a racontour and a humorist. That would be his most prominent characteristic. ''He loved people and he was a very sensitive man,'' Mr. Karos added. ''I think everybody who met him felt that about him and liked him.'' Private services were being arranged for the actor, who was not married. In addition to his brother, David, he is survived by a half brother, Louis Errica of San Diego.

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Victor Charles Buono lived 31 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 43.

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5 Memories, Stories & Photos about Victor

Amanda S. Stevenson

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01/10/2024

Victor Buono

Greatly loved and admired by his friends and fans.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

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01/10/2024

Victor Buono

He was a famous character actor.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

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01/10/2024

Victor Buono

He could play sinister or sweet.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

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01/10/2024

Victor Buono

As a serviceman.

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Amanda S. Stevenson

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09/13/2022

Victor Buono

Charater Actor.

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Victor Charles Buono Feb 3, 1938 - Jan 1, 1982

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Other Biographies

Other Victor Buono Biographies

Buono, Victor (May 28, 1907 - May 1981)

Other Buono Family Biographies

Buono, Winifred (Nov 1, 1922 - Jan 1984) Buono, Barbara (May 18, 1933 - Dec 12, 1993) Buono, Eustachio (Mar 1, 1899 - Aug 1963) Buono, Mary (Sep 23, 1902 - Sep 1972) Buono, Margaret (Jan 20, 1916 - Apr 22, 1992) Buono, George (Jan 25, 1909 - Mar 24, 1993) Buono, Carlo (Nov 23, 1915 - Oct 1993) Buono, James (Sep 30, 1882 - Jan 1963) Buono, Nicola (Dec 16, 1895 - Apr 1974) Buono, Mary (Jul 22, 1926 - Oct 16, 2003)

Buono, Domenic (Aug 4, 1935 - Sep 24, 1988) Buono, Antonio (Sep 11, 1896 - Nov 1974) Buono, Laura (Feb 16, 1910 - May 1974) Buono, Giuseppe (Mar 15, 1886 - Feb 1972) Buono, Mary (Aug 2, 1919 - Apr 27, 1999) Buono, Michael (Mar 6, 1921 - Nov 29, 2003) Buono, Anne (Jun 30, 1915 - Dec 1973) Buono, Joseph (Jul 21, 1915 - Sep 1977) Buono, Angelo (Jan 6, 1912 - Jul 1973) Buono, Michael (May 7, 1913 - Jun 1984)

About the AncientFaces Community

Victor Charles Buono 1938 - 1982

Victor Charles Buono's History: 1938 - 1982

Introduction

Birthday

Ethnicity & Family History

Professional Career

Personal Life & Family

Death

Gravesite & Burial

Obituary

5 Memories, Stories & Photos about Victor

Victor Buono's Family Tree & Friends

Victor Buono's Family Tree

Victor's Friends

Other Victor Buono Biographies

Other Buono Family Biographies