He served in the Coast Guard during WWII as the executive officer on the Pocatello, a submarine chaser in the North Pacific.
His "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962) co-star, Donna Douglas, had a lot in common. Like Buddy, she too is a successful singer (of gospel), is also a character actress, and is also a Republican.
His father owned a dance studio, and when Ebsen was a young boy insisted that he take dance lessons.
His first wife, Ruth, was originally Walter Winchell's secretary/Girl Friday.
His former "Barnaby Jones" (1973) co-star, Lee Meriwether, said she reminded him a lot of Ray MacDonnell, with whom she had a wonderful relationship on "All My Children" (1970).
His show "Barnaby Jones" (1973) was canceled at the end of the eighth season, because Buddy had decided to retire from acting.
His show "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962) was canceled at the end of the ninth season, because of the infamous rural purge that axed all shows in 1971.
In 1938 MGM offered him a seven-year contract, starting at $2,000 a week but requiring him to give the studio absolute control over his career. He rejected it. MGM blackballed him and his film career went into eclipse for nearly 20 years, until Walt Disney hired him to play Georgie Russel, Davy Crockett's sidekick, in Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955).
In the 1930s, Disney animators filmed him dancing in front of a grid to "choreograph" Mickey Mouse's dance steps for the Silly Symphony cartoons.
In the last two years of his life, he recorded his first CD in which he sang some of his own songs.
Initially wanted to become a doctor. He took premed courses at Rollins College and the University of Florida, but his mother persuaded him into show business.
Of Danish and Latvian descent.
One of his last roles was a gag cameo in The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) in which Jim Varney played Jed. Ebsen showed up as Barnaby Jones.
Originally cast as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (1939), Buddy was hospitalized as a result of inhaling aluminum powder used as part of his make-up. One chorus of "We're Off to See the Wizard" in the movie and soundtrack album retain Ebsen's original vocals as the Tin Man, recorded before he was forced to leave the production. Because of the prolonged hospitalization, he was replaced by Jack Haley (whose reformulated make-up used pre-mixed aluminium dust), and Ebsen's scenes were re-shot using Haley. Footage of Ebsen as the Tin Man still exists, and was included as an extra with the U.S. 50th anniversary video release of The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Owned a 36-acre ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Remained friends with Donna Douglas and Max Baer Jr. during and after "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962).
Remained friends with Lee Meriwether during and after "Barnaby Jones" (1973).
Set up the Ebsen School of Dance in Pacific Palisades, California. When Buddy was young, his father, a physical fitness advocate, taught dance in West Palm Beach, Florida. This is where Buddy and younger sister Vilma Ebsen learned their craft and they appeared in local and school productions.
Son Dustin Ebsen is married to Stan Freberg 's daughter Donna.
Taught Judy Garland the shim-sham shimmy while they were at MGM.