Lou Costello

Lifetime achievement for Acting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lou Costello was born Louis Francis Cristillo on March 6, 1906 in Paterson, N.J. Wanting to try his luck in Hollywood, Lou found sparse work as a laborer and an extra at MGM in 1927. He appeared in the boxing sequence of Laurel & Hardy's 'Battle of the Century' (1927) and in the Delores Del Rio 1928 epic 'Trails of 98.'

By the time Lou worked his way back to the east coast, Bud Abbott was already a successful straightman in burlesque. Although Lou had his designs on becoming a dramatic actor, he worked as a Dutch comic in St. Joseph, Missouri at $16.00 a week in order to make his way back to N.J. Once home, he continued pursuing burlesque jobs and for awhile worked as a dancing juvenile in Ann Corio's 'This Is Burlesque.' It was in this show that he met his future wife, Anne Battler and whom he married in 1934.

Although one can find many stories that claim to document the teaming up of Abbott & Costello, the most familiar is that of LouÕs straightman getting sick and Lou asking Bud, also on the bill, if he would step in. Subsequently, history was made that night at a Brooklyn burlesque house in 1936 and the team of Abbott & Costello was born.