Victor Charles Buono is an American theater, film and television actor. Writer, poet, chef who created gourmet dishes. In 1963 he was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in What Happened to Baby Jane?
In the creative biography of Buono, there are more than a hundred roles in film and television. He was one of the most sought-after actors in the 1960s, playing mostly villains or lunatics in horror and thriller films. Hollywood producers and directors invited Victor to these roles because of his external data. High growth and great weight, as well as a wonderful operatic voice and an amazing glowing gaze, a little crazy and very memorable, became the hallmarks of the actor who invariably attracted the attention of the audience.
The artist himself was a very erudite and cheerful person, he loved to make people laugh, but at the same time he took his profession seriously. True, he did not want to monitor his health and, as a result, his overweight, chronic diseases led to a fatal heart attack in 1982.
The actor passed away their lives a month before his birthday. He was only 43 years old.
Biography facts
Victor Charles was born in the winter of 1938 in the United States in the family of Victor Francis Buono and Myrtle Belle Keller. From an early age, the boy became interested in art. His grandmother was a vaudeville actress at Orpheum Circuit. It was she who instilled in the boy an interest in music and singing. She also taught her to recite poetry and prose in front of the guests who gathered in Buono's house on holidays.
Victor did not dream of an acting career. He was going to go to university and devote himself to medicine. But his passion for the theater changed his plans.
During his school years, the boy began performing on stage. He enjoyed going out in public, showing off his acting talents. Victor has played in many performances staged by students. Among his roles were many famous characters, ranging from the genie from the fairy tale "Aladdin" and ending with Hamlet. As a result, by the end of school, Victor decided to devote his future life to the stage.
Buono received his primary education at St. Augustine High School in San Diego. Then he entered the University of Pennsylvania Villanova University.
Creative way
When Victor was 18 years old, he began performing on radio, and also appeared in several television projects. Soon the young man was accepted into the Globe Theater.
He played many roles on stage in Shakespeare's plays and in the works of famous playwrights, including: "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Henry IV", "Hamlet", "Volpone", "The Prosecution Witness", "The Man Who Came to Dinner ".
In the late 1950s, a Warner Bros. attended one of the performances at the Globe Theater, where Victor played the role of Falstaff. He was so impressed with the young actor's performance that he immediately invited him to come to the studio to audition. From that moment, Buono's career in cinema began.
A young man who looked older than his years began to be offered character roles. His comical, derisive and witty demeanor, motionless shining eyes of aquamarine eyes, huge weight, loud, well-delivered voice guaranteed him the opportunity to appear in new projects that needed a non-standard image of a villain or a fictional character.
Victor made his debut on the screen in 1958. He played a small role in one of the episodes of the television project "Sea Hunt". This was followed by work in other series: "Theater General Electric", "Perry Mason", "Rebel", "Hawaiian detective", "The Untouchables", "Sunset Strip, 77", "Hawaiian detective", "Thriller", "Beyond Law”,“Michael Shane”,“Swamps”.
In 1960, the actor starred in the feature film The Tale of Ruth for the first time. But the role was so insignificant that his last name was not even indicated in the credits.
After 2 years, director R. Aldrich invited Buono to his new project What Happened to Baby Jane? for the role of Edwin Flagg.
The psychological thriller takes place in the 1920s. A very young actress named Jane Hudson, performing in musical performances, was a huge success with the public and earned decent money, on which the whole family lived. Sister Blanche was very jealous of Jane, but she had to hide her envy and irritation. After 10 years, everything has changed. Blanche becomes a famous Hollywood actress, and Jane's career declines. But the tragic event that happened one evening, when the girls returned home after a party, completely changes the lives of the sisters.
The film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, received high marks from viewers and film critics and became a contender for the main award "Palme d'Or". In 1963, Buono was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
This role marked the beginning of a series of images of crazy villains, which the actor continued to play in the following films.
Later Buono played dozens of roles in famous films and TV series, including: "Four from Texas", "Strangler", "Robin and 7 gangsters", "Journey to the bottom of the ocean", "Agents of ANKL.", Hush … Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Greatest Story Ever Told, I Am a Spy, Wild Wild West, Get Your Goggles, Batman, Secret Aliens, Here's Lucy "," Division 5-O "," Detachment "Hipsters", "Night Gallery", "Under the Planet of the Apes", "Strange couple", "Vienna Strangler", "Man with an icy look", "Fantasy Island", " Evil "," Taxi "," Vegas "," High Flight ".
Buono not only acted in films, but also wrote poetry and prose. He was a great admirer of Shakespeare and in his free time he constantly re-read his works, never ceasing to admire the author.
In the 1970s, Victor released his collection of comic poetry. During the same period, he recorded several albums with his performances at Comedy Records, in which he laughed at his weight and height. He began calling himself the "Batman Fat" after playing the villainous King Tut on the Batman TV series.
Personal life
The actor has never been married. He did not hide his unconventional orientation too much, but tried not to answer tricky questions asked by the media.
The actor passed away on the first day of the new 1982. The cause of death was a heart attack. He was buried next to his mother at Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery in San Diego.
