What is Red Skelton's real name?

Richard "Red" Bernard Skelton was born July 18, 1913 in Indiana to Ida Mae Skelton. His father, Joseph Elmer Skelton, died a couple of months before Red’s birth. His father was a grocer and a clown with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.

Without a father, Red had to start working at the age of seven. While selling newspapers, Ed Wynn, a famous actor at the time, asked Red what was good to do. Red suggested he catch the newest show in the local theater. Ironically, Wynn was the lead in the show and bought all the newspapers from Red. Red bought a ticket and was invited backstage to meet the cast and learn more from Wynn.

Red’s entertainment career started around 1926, when he dropped out of school to perform comedy. He entered Vaudeville around 1929, where he and his wife, Edna Stillwell, developed and performed acts together.

Red continued into radio, movies, and TV. His hit TV show “The Red Skelton Show” spanned 20 years from 1951 to 1971. Some of Red’s most famous characters he performed in his acts were: Clem Kadiddlehopper (a country bumpkin), Freddie the Freeloader (a hobo), Gertrude and Heathcliffe (a couple of seagulls), San Fernando Red (a crooked politician).

Red passed on September 17, 1997, after a long battle with extreme health issues.