Buddy Ebsen was born on April 2, 1908 in Belleville, Illinois. On July 6, 2003 Buddy Ebsen passed away in Torrance, California with complications from pneumonia.

Having a vaudeville act with his sister Vilma, Buddy and Vilma went to Hollywood in 1935, where they were signed for the first of MGM's Eleanor Powell movies, BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936. Buddy Ebsen was offered the role of the scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939). Ebsen agreed to change roles with Ray Bolger, who was cast as the Tin Woodsman. Ebsen then became ill from the tin make-up, and was unable to play the role, so the role went to Jack Haley. Footage of Ebsen as the Tin Man still exists, and it was included as an extra with the U.S. 50th anniversary video release of THE WIZARD OF OZ. In one chorus of We're Off to See the Wizard in THE WIZARD OF OZ and its soundtrack album retain Ebsen's original vocals as the Tin Man, recorded before he was forced to leave the production due to health problems.

TV fans know Buddy Ebsen as hillbilly millionaire Jed Clampett on the sitcom THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1962-71) and as the soft-spoken P.I. BARNABY JONES (1973-80).

One of Buddy Ebsen's last roles was a gag cameo in THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1993) in which Jim Varney played Jed, Ebsen showed up as Barnaby Jones. Buddy wrote a half dozen plays, five of which were produced, including a farce called HONEST JOHN in 1948 and CHAMPAGNE GENERAL in 1973, a Civil War story. To the earlier generation Buddy Ebsen was known as Fess Parker's sidekick in the Disney's DAVY CROCKETT shows in the 1950s. In the 30s, Disney animators filmed Buddy Ebsen dancing in front of a grid to "choreograph" Mickey Mouse's dance steps in the SILLY SYMPHONY cartoons.

On June 21, 1996 Buddy Ebsen was inducted into the DeMolay Hall of Fame. MGM blackballed Buddy Ebsen becasue he rejected the contract they offered him and his film career went into eclipse for nearly 20 years, until Walt Disney hired him to play Georgie Russel, Davy Crockett's sidekick, in DAVY CROCKETT, KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER (1954). Buddy Ebsen was a part-time songwriter, and has become a newly-published author of a romantic novel at the age of 93, entitled KELLY'S QUEST.

Buddy Ebsen's other notable credits include...

THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (1993)
MAIL ORDER BRIDE (1964)
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961)
BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL (1956)
SING YOUR WORRIES AWAY (1942)
THE KID FROM TEXAS (1939)
MY KUCKY STAR (1938)
BANJO ON MY KNEE (1936)

Buddy Ebsen in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S