Victor Charles Buono was born on February 3, 1938, in San Diego, California, to Myrtle and Victor F. Buono, the latter a former police officer who was later convicted of conspiracy and murder in 1959. Buono attended St. Augustine High School and became involved with San Diego’s Globe Theater Players, where he gained experience in Shakespearean drama. Though sometimes reported to have attended military school or Northwestern University,
most accounts focus on his local education and early theatrical training in California. He began his professional acting career in the late 1950s, appearing in television series like 77 Sunset Strip, and rose to prominence in 1962 with his chilling performance as Edwin Flagg in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, for which he received both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
- 1960 The Story of Ruth
- 1962 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
- 1963 My Six Loves
- 1963 4 for Texas
- 1964 The Strangler
- 1964 Robin and the 7 Hoods
- 1964 Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte
- 1965 The Greatest Story Ever Told
- 1965 Young Dillinger
- 1966 The Silencers
- 1967 Who’s Minding the Mint?
- 1969 Target: Harry
- 1969 Big Daddy
- 1969 Boot Hill
- 1970 Beneath the Planet of the Apes
- 1970 Up Your Teddy Bear
- 1971 The Mad Butcher
- 1971 The Man with Icy Eyes
- 1971 Temporada salvaje
- 1972 The Wrath of God
- 1972 Goodnight, My Love
- 1972 Northeast of Seoul
- 1973 Arnold The Minister
- 1974 Moonchild
- 1975 The Chinese Caper
- 1978 The Evil
- 1979 Better Late Than Never
- 1980 The Man with Bogart’s Face
- 1980 Murder Can Hurt You
- 1982 The Flight of Dragons (Voice – released posthumously – final film role)
Buono developed a successful career playing flamboyant or villainous characters, most memorably King Tut in the 1960s Batman series and Count Manzeppi in The Wild Wild West. His other film work included roles in Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and The Strangler (1964). He was also a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,
where he often recited humorous poems, later collected in his 1972 book It Could Be Verse. Known for his wit and self-deprecating humor, Buono spoke openly about his struggles with weight but kept his personal relationships private, never marrying and living discreetly with male partners.
TV
- 1958 Sea Hunt
- 1960 Bourbon Street Beat
- 1960 77 Sunset (2 episodes)
- 1961 The Everglades
- 1961 Hawaiian Eye (2 episodes)
- 1961-1963 77 Sunset Strip Gunther (4 episodes)
- 1961 Surfside 6
- 1961 The Untouchables
- 1962 The New Breed
- 1962 Perry Mason (2 episodes)
- 1962 The Untouchables
- 1963 GE True
- 1965-1966 The Wild Wild West (2 episodes)
- 1965 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
- 1965 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (3 episodes)
- 1966 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
- 1966–1968 Batman (10 episodes)
- 1966 I Spy
- 1967 The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
- 1967 T.H.E. Cat
- 1967 Daniel Boone
- 1969 The Flying Nun
- 1969 Here’s Lucy
- 1969 It Takes a Thief
- 1970 Get Smart
- 1970 O’Hara, U.S. Treasury
- 1972 The Mod Squad
- 1973 Mannix
- 1973 Orson Welles Great Mysteries
- 1973 Hawaii Five-O
- 1973-1975 The Odd Couple (2 episodes)
- 1976 Ellery Queen
- 1976 The Tony Randall Show
- 1976 Alice
- 1977 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
- 1977 Man from Atlantis (9 episodes)
- 1979 Supertrain
- 1979 Backstairs at the White House (2 episodes)
- 1980 Taxi
- 1980 Fantasy Island
- 1980–1981 Vega$ (4 episodes)
- 1981 Here’s Boomer
He continued acting into the early 1980s, with appearances in Taxi, Backstairs at the White House, and various TV movies. Buono died of a heart attack on Friday, January 1, 1982, at the age of 43, at his home in Apple Valley, California. Though his obituary did not mention immediate family survivors, he was mourned by colleagues and friends who remembered his talent and intelligence.
Further Reading
Sources
- Wikipedia “Victor Buono” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Buono
- IMDB “Victor Buono(1938-1982)” https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0120658/?ref_=fn_all_nme_1
- TMDB “Victor Buono” https://www.themoviedb.org/person/24811-victor-buono?language=en-US
