William Alexander "Bud" Abbott

 William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974)

He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello. Abbott crossed paths with Lou Costello in burlesque a few times in the early 1930s when Abbott was producing and performing in Minsky's Burlesque shows and Costello was a rising comic. They first worked together in 1935 at the Eltinge Theater on 42nd Street, after an illness sidelined Costello's regular partner. They formally teamed up in 1936, and went on to perform together in burlesque, vaudeville, minstrel shows, and stage shows. In 1938, they received national exposure as regulars on the Kate Smith Hour radio show, which led to roles in a Broadway musical, The Streets of Paris. In 1940, Universal signed the team for their first film, One Night in the Tropics. Despite having minor roles, Abbott and Costello stole the film with several classic routines, including an abbreviated version of "Who's On First?" During World War II, Abbott and Costello were among the most popular and highest-paid stars in the world. Between 1940 and 1956 they made 36 films and earned a percentage of the profits on each, and had a very popular radio program. However, relations between Abbott and Costello were strained by egos and salary disputes, starting with a the way their earnings were being split. Costello also demanded that the team be renamed "Costello and Abbott," but this was rejected by Universal Studios, resulting in a "permanent chill" between the two partners, according to Lou's daughter Chris Costello in her biography Lou's on First. Their relationship was further strained by Abbott's alcohol abuse, a habit motivated by his desire to stave off epileptic seizures. The team's popularity waned in the 1950's, and they were bedeviled by tax issues; the IRS demanded heavy back taxes, forcing the partners (both of whom had been free spenders and serious gamblers) to sell most of their assets, including the rights to many of their films. Universal dropped their contract after 14 years in 1955. Abbott and Costello split in 1957 (Costello died in 1959). In 1964, he suffered the first in a series of strokes In 1972, he broke his hip. Bud Abbott died of cancer at the age of 76 on April 24, 1974, at his home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. His remains were cremated and his ashes were spread into the Pacific Ocean.