Lou Costello Picture
STARmeter
SEE RANK
Up 268 this week

Lou Costello (I) (1906–1959)

Actor | Soundtrack | Producer

Born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, Lou 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... See full bio »

Born:

Louis Francis Cristillo
in Paterson, New Jersey, USA

Died:

(age 52) in East Los Angeles, California, USA
Abbott and Costello No Circa
4 photos | 58 videos | 66 news articles »

Quick Links:

Related News

Remembering One of the Top Players of the Studio Era: Deanna Durbin
4 May 2013 4:04 PM, PDT | Alt Film Guide
Patty Andrews obituary
31 January 2013 4:06 PM, PST | The Guardian - Film News
Last of the Andrews Sisters dies at 94
31 January 2013 1:47 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News
See all 66 related articles »
Create a list  »

Related Lists

image of name
funniest people ever
a list of 200 people by smith-d-c created 29 Sep 2010
 
image of name
The Funniest People
a list of 413 people by blueish35 created 9 months ago
 
image of name
The GREATEST Comedians This World Has Seen
a list of 41 people by Ziglet_mir created 01 Jul 2011
 
image of name
Great classic comedians
a list of 51 people by cookemd created 29 Dec 2011
 
image of name
The 100 funniest people in film and Television history
a list of 94 people by RT Firefly created 08 Jan 2011
 
See all related lists »

Do you have a demo reel?

Add it to your IMDbPage

Christopher Mann's Theatrical Demo Reel -- This reel contains Christopher performing in Film and Television. The clips included are from the following: "The Boundary", "The Wire", "Duplicity", "Law & Order(SVU)", "Michael Clayton", "Cost Of A Soul", "HEROES" and "Law & Order (CI)".

Christopher Mann's Theatrical Demo Reel

Francine Locke Film Reel -- Family Law (Best Actress, Gideon), Stealing Home (Best Supporting Actress-nom.) 168 Project, True Tale Monster (Albert P. Weisman Award), The Discarded (2011 Feature Release).

Francine Locke Film Reel

Melanie Molnar - Reel -- No description provided.

Melanie Molnar - Reel

Franklin Ojeda Smith - -- "...back in the day the 'barb wire' was more visible" and early on I chose baseball over acting; then academia and not baseball. Now,"...the kids are grown, the dog is dead and now that I may, I choose acting." Please take a look: 1)Boardwalk Empire - Deacon Cuffy 2)Murder Incorporated - Sam Christenson 3)Cayman Went - Aniston Turnkey 4)Letting Go -Therapist 5)Footsteps in the Sand - Jim. Thank You! Franklin

Franklin Ojeda Smith -

David H. Lawrence, XVII - Drama -- On-camera drama reel featuring David H. Lawrence XVII, in scenes from Heroes, The Unit, LOST, and more

David H. Lawrence, XVII - Drama


Find out more at IMDbPro »

Connect with IMDb

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Lou Costello.
3 wins See more awards »

Known For


Show Show all  | 
Show by:
Edit

Filmography

Hide HideActor (49 titles)
1959 The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock
Artie Pinsetter
 
1958 Wagon Train (TV series)
Tobias Jones
– The Tobias Jones Story (1958) … Tobias Jones
 
1958 G.E. True Theater (TV series)
Neal Andrews
– Blaze of Glory (1958) … Neal Andrews
 
1957-1958 The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (TV series)
Comedian-Charlie Carwash / Comedian-Con Artist / Comedian-Drill Sergeant / …
– Episode #3.34 (1958) … Comedian-Drill Sergeant
– Episode #3.24 (1958) … Comedian-Charlie Carwash
– Episode #3.13 (1957) … Comedian-Con Artist
– Episode #2.36 (1957)
– Episode #2.23 (1957) … Comedian-Telephone Call
 
1956 Dance with Me, Henry
Lou Henry
 
1955 Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
Freddie Franklin
 
1955 Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
Willie 'Tubby' Piper
 
1954 Fireman Save My Child
Man in Long Shots (uncredited)
 
1952-1954 The Abbott and Costello Show (TV series)
Lou Costello
– Barber Lou (1954) … Lou Costello
– Safari (1953) … Lou Costello
– Police Rookies (1953) … Lou Costello
– The Actors' Home (1953) … Lou Costello
– Little Old Lady (1953) … Lou Costello
See all 52 episodes »
 
1953 Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Tubby
 
1953 Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
Orville
 
1952 Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Captain 'Puddin' head' Feathergill
 
1952 Lost in Alaska
George Bell
 
1952 Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack (as Costello) / Jack Strong (as Costello)
 
1951 Comin' Round the Mountain
Wilbert Smith
 
1951 Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Lou Francis
 
1950 Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion
Lou Hotchkiss
 
1949 Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
Freddie Phillips
 
1949 Africa Screams
Stanley Livington
 
1948 Mexican Hayride
Joe Bascom / Humphrey Fish
 
1948 Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
Wilbur
 
1948 The Noose Hangs High
Tommy Hinchcliffe
 
1947 The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
Chester Wooley
 
1947 Buck Privates Come Home
Herbie Brown
 
1946 The Time of Their Lives
Horatio Prim
 
1946 Little Giant
Benny Miller
 
1945 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
Abercrombie
 
1945 The Naughty Nineties
Sebastian Dinwiddle
 
1945 Here Come the Co-eds
Oliver Quackenbush
 
1944 Lost in a Harem
Harvey Garvey
 
1944 In Society
Albert Mansfield
 
1943 Hit the Ice
Weejie 'Tubby' McCoy
 
1943 It Ain't Hay
Wilbur Hoolihan
 
1942 Who Done It?
Mervin Q. Milgrim / Voice of Himself on Radio
 
1942 Pardon My Sarong
Wellington Pflug, aka Moola
 
1942 Rio Rita
'Wishy'
 
1942 Ride 'Em Cowboy
Willoughby
 
1941 Keep 'Em Flying
Heathcliff
 
1941 Hold That Ghost
Ferdinand Jones
 
1941 In the Navy
Pomeroy Watson
 
1941 Buck Privates
Herbie Brown
 
1940 One Night in the Tropics
Costello
 
1928 The Cossacks
Extra (uncredited)
 
1928 Circus Rookies
Extra (uncredited)
 
1928 Rose-Marie
Extra (uncredited)
 
1927 The Battle of the Century (short)
Boxing Hall extra (uncredited)
 
1927 The Fair Co-Ed
Extra (uncredited)
 
1927 The Taxi Dancer
Extra (uncredited)
 
1926 Bardelys the Magnificent
Extra (uncredited)
 
Show ShowSoundtrack (10 titles)
1952 Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (performer: "Tonight We Sail")
 
1951-1952 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
– Episode #3.13 (1952) (performer: "White Christmas")
– Episode #1.27 (1951) (performer: "Don Juan Costello", "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody" - uncredited / 1919)
 
1952 Jack and the Beanstalk (performer: "Jack and the Beanstalk", "I Fear Nothing", "Dreamer's Cloth", "He Never Looked Better In His Life")
 
1946 The Time of Their Lives (performer: "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes" 1616 - uncredited)
 
1945 The Naughty Nineties (performer: "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" - uncredited)
 
1945 Here Come the Co-eds (performer: "Let's Play House")
 
1942 Pardon My Sarong (performer: "Deep in the Heart of Texas" 1942 - uncredited)
 
1941 In the Navy (performer: "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith" 1941 - uncredited, "A Sailor's Life for Me" 1941)
 
1941 Hold That Ghost (performer: "The Blue Danube Waltz" 1867 - uncredited)
 
1941 Buck Privates (performer: "When Private Brown Becomes a Captain" - uncredited / "You're in the Army Now" - uncredited)
 
Show ShowProducer (6 titles)
1953 I'm the Law (TV series) (executive producer)
 
1952 Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (executive producer - uncredited)
 
1952 Jack and the Beanstalk (producer)
 
1948 10,000 Kids and a Cop (documentary short) (producer)
 
1948 The Noose Hangs High (executive producer - uncredited)
 
1944 A Wave, a WAC and a Marine (executive producer - as Sebastian Cristillo)
 
Show ShowWriter (1 title)
1954 The Abbott and Costello Show (TV series)
– Barber Lou (1954) (writer)
 
Show ShowStunts (1 title)
1928 The Trail of '98 (stunt double: Dolores del Rio, window-jumping scene)
 
Show ShowSelf (14 titles)
1955-1958 The Ed Sullivan Show (TV series)
Comedian / Himself
– Episode #12.10 (1958) … Comedian
– Episode #9.11 (1955) … Himself
 
1956-1958 The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (TV series)
Himself - Comedian / Himself - "Who's On First?" / Himself - House of the Monster Sketch
– From the Riviera Hotel, Havana Cuba (1958) … Himself - Comedian
– Episode #3.5 (1957) … Himself - House of the Monster Sketch
– Episode #2.44 (1957) … Himself - Comedian
– Salute to Baseball (1956) … Himself - "Who's On First?"
 
1957 I've Got a Secret (TV series)
Celebrity Guest
– Episode dated 26 June 1957 (1957) … Celebrity Guest
 
1956 This Is Your Life (TV series)
Himself
– Lou Costello (1956) … Himself
 
1951-1955 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
Himself - Host / Himself / Himself - Comic Actor / …
– Episode #5.27 (1955) … Himself - Comic Actor (as Abbott and Costello)
– Episode #5.20 (1955) … Himself - Comedian (as Abbott & Costello)
– Episode #4.33 (1954) … Himself - Host
– Episode #4.28 (1954) … Himself - Host
– Episode #4.25 (1954) … Himself - Host
See all 20 episodes »
 
1954 Screen Snapshots Series 33, No. 10: Hollywood Grows Up (documentary short)
Himself
 
1952 News of the Day (documentary short)
Himself
 
1948-1949 The Buick-Berle Show (TV series)
Himself - Comedian
– Episode #1.34 (1949) … Himself - Comedian
– Episode #1.17 (1948) … Himself - Comedian
 
1948 10,000 Kids and a Cop (documentary short)
Himself
 
1944 Mail Call (short)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1942 Picture People No. 10: Hollywood at Home (documentary short)
Himself
 
1942 Screen Snapshots Series 21, No. 6 (short)
Himself
 
1941 Meet the Stars #4: Variety Reel #2 (documentary short)
Himself
 
1940 The Baer-Galento Bout (documentary short)
Himself (interviewed in locker room)
 
Show ShowArchive Footage (61 titles)
2011 Reagan (documentary)
Himself
 
2011 Eric & Ernie: Behind the Scenes (TV documentary)
Himself
 
2010 A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss (TV series documentary)
 
2010 Behind the Burly Q (documentary)
Himself
 
2010 Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney Jr. (video documentary short)
 
2010 Muchachada nui (TV series)
 
2009 Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America (TV series documentary)
 
2009 Morecambe and Wise: The Show What Paul Merton Did (TV documentary)
Himself (uncredited)
 
2008 The O'Reilly Factor (TV series)
 
2008 Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge (video documentary)
Himself
 
2006 The Story of Light Entertainment (TV mini-series documentary)
 
2005 Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (TV documentary)
Orville
 
2004 Back to the 1950s (video documentary)
 
1999 ABC 2000: The Millennium (TV documentary)
 
The Century: America's Time (TV mini-series documentary)
 
1999 Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed (video documentary short)
Freddie
 
1998 Universal Horror (TV documentary)
 
1998 Classified X (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1997 American Masters (TV series documentary)
 
1996 Biography (TV series documentary)
 
1996 Bob Hope: Hollywood's Brightest Star (video documentary)
Himself
 
1995 Ed Sullivan All-Star Comedy Special (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1994 Television's Christmas Classics (TV special)
Himself
 
1994 Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld (TV documentary)
 
1994 It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (TV documentary)
 
1994 Baseball
Himself (Who's on First routine)
 
1994 Entertaining the Troops (documentary)
Himself
 
1992 Legends of Comedy (TV documentary)
 
1991 When It Was a Game (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1991 Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook (documentary)
Wilbur Grey/Tubby
 
1990 The Three Stooges 60th Anniversary Special (TV documentary)
 
1986 Classic Comedy Teams (video documentary)
Himself
 
1985 Into the Night
Wilbur Grey in 'Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'
 
1984 Stooge Snapshots (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1984 The Great Standups (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1983 Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (documentary)
Himself (uncredited)
 
1982 Showbiz Goes to War (TV movie)
 
1982 Simon & Simon (TV series)
 
1979 The Horror Show (documentary)
 
1979 The Hollywood Clowns (video documentary)
 
1978 Funny Business (TV documentary)
Himself
 
1978 Hey, Abbott!
 
1976 That's Entertainment, Part II (documentary)
Clips from 'Rio Rita' (as Costello)
 
1965 The World of Abbott and Costello (documentary)
 
1965 Hollywood My Home Town (documentary)
Himself
 
1965 Wayne and Shuster Take an Affectionate Look At... (TV series documentary)
 
1964 The Big Parade of Comedy (documentary)
Wishy in 'Rio Rita'
 
1960 Project XX (TV series documentary)
 
1959 The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (TV series)
 
1954 Oh, My Achin' Tooth! (short)
Lou
 
1954 Champs of the Chase (short)
Albert
 
1953 The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV series)
 
1953 I'm the Law (TV series)
 
1953 Gobs in a Mess (short)
Pomeroy
 
1952 Screen Snapshots: Memories of Famous Hollywood Comedians (documentary short)
Himself
 
1951 Knights of the Bath (short)
Albert
 
1949 Kitchen Mechanics (short)
Oliver [Lou, in silent versions]
 
1949 Fun on the Run (short)
Oliver [Lou, in silent versions]
 
1948 Oysters and Muscles (short)
Oliver [Lou, in silent versions]
 
1946 Screen Snapshots Series 25, No. 8: Looking Back (short)
Himself
 
1943 The Autobiography of a 'Jeep' (documentary short)
Himself - in a Jeep in Parade (uncredited)
 

Related Videos

The Noose Hangs High -- Window washers are mistaken for messengers who are sent to collect $50,000 in cash by a gangster, with zany results! The Abbott and Costello Show: Season 2: Episode 26 -- After helping Mrs. Bronson with her amateur benefit show, Bud is exhausted and asks Lou to give him a relaxing rub down by following the instructions of a radio masseuse. The Three Stooges 60th Anniversary Special -- Clip: Higher than a kite
See all 58 »
Edit

Personal Details

Other Works:

(????) Print ad: Adams Hats. See more »

Publicity Listings:

3 Biographical Movies  | 7 Print Biographies  | 2 Articles  | See more »

Official Sites:

Daniel Simkins / Chris Costello (Lou's daughter) | See more »

Alternate Names:

Abbott & Costello | Abbott and Costello | Costello | Lou Cristillo | Sebastian Cristillo

Height:

5' 5" (1.65 m)
Edit

Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

Comics are a dime a dozen - good straight men are hard to find! See more »

Trivia:

Mentioned his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, at least once in every one of his films. See more »

Trademark:

Mentioned his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, in virtually every episode of his TV show and in many of his films. See more »

Star Sign:

Pisces