Lou Costello

Lou Costello

actor, producer, stunts

Lou Costello was born on Mar 06, 1906 in USA. Lou Costello's big-screen debut came with The Fair Co-Ed directed by Sam Wood in 1927, strarring Extra (uncredited). Lou Costello is known for The Abbott and Costello Show directed by Jean Yarbrough, Bud Abbott stars as Bud Abbott and Lou Costello as Lou Costello. The most recent award Lou Costello achieved is Walk of Fame. The upcoming new movie Lou Costello plays is The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock which will be released on Aug 06, 1959.

Lou Costello was born Louis Francis Cristillo in Paterson, New Jersey, to Helen (Rege) and Sebastiano Cristillo. His father was from Calabria, Italy, and his mother was an American of Italian, French, and Irish ancestry. Raised in Paterson, Costello dropped out of high school and headed west to break into the movies. He got a job as a carpenter at MGM and Warners. He went from there to stuntman and then to vaudeville as a comic. In 1931, while working in Brooklyn, his straight man became ill and the theater cashier, Bud Abbott, filled in for him. The two formed their famous comedy team and, through the 1930s, they worked burlesque, minstrel shows, vaudeville and movie houses. In 1938 they got national exposure through the Kate Smith Hour radio show, and signed with Universal Pictures the next year. They debuted in Une nuit sous les tropiques (1940). Their scene-stealing performances in that film landed them their own picture the next year, Deux nigauds soldats (1941), with The Andrews Sisters. It was a runaway hit, grossing what was then a company record $10 million on a $180,000 budget. In 1942 they topped a poll of Hollywood stars. They had their own radio show (ABC, 1941-46, NBC, 1946-49) and TV show (The Abbott and Costello Show (1952)). After the war their movies shifted formula to one in which they met various monsters or found themselves in exotic locations. The team split up in 1957, with both winding up completely out of money after troubles with the Internal Revenue Service. After that Lou appeared in a few television shows and the movie The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959), released a few months after he died.

  • Birthday

    Mar 06, 1906
  • Place of Birth

    Paterson, New Jersey, USA

Known For

Awards

4 wins & 0 nominations

Walk of Fame
1960
Motion Picture
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame
1960
Television
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame
1960
Radio
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame
Photoplay Awards
1941
Best Performances of the Month (October)
Winner - Photoplay Award

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies
TV Shows