Became very popular on the TV talk show circuit due to his wit and wisdom. He made several appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson which helped put his comedy album "Heavy!" on the map. He performed a special version of "Fat Man's Prayer", and sold over over 60,000 the following week. Other cuts included "A Word to the Wide" and "We're the Most".
In the late 1970s and in 1980, Buono played the memory-impaired Reverend Jim's millionaire father on "Taxi". In actuality, he was only eight months older than Christopher Lloyd, who played Jim. Buono's death in 1982 was written into the series with an episode about Jim's father passing away.
Was a frequent guest on talk shows, reciting his own original poetry. Ultimately, in 1971, he recorded some of this poetry on the album "Heavy" on a small label.
Was highly regarded as a gourmet chef.
Will always be remembered by baby-boomers for his role as the villainous King Tut and Count Manzeppi on the "Batman" (1966) and "The Wild Wild West" (1965) TV series, respectively.