Born: Christian Rudolph Ebsen, on April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois.

SPOTLIGHTS: Buddy Ebsen learned the art of dance as a child at his father’s dancing studio. As he grew it became apparent he was athletic, but he used his strength to appear lightweight in movement. Walt Disney had his staff film Ebsen’s spectacular choreography. The animators copied his rubbery flexibility for Mickey Mouse’s dance numbers in the Silly Symphony film series of cartoons. Motion picture audiences witnessed him in action for the first time in Broadway Melody of 1936. It showcased his impressive dancing skills. However it was a Shirley Temple vehicle, Captain January (1936), that made Ebsen a star. His charming personality won him worldwide acclaim and the film was box office gold. He would have gone down in history for another motion picture classic—The Wizard of Oz—but a poisonous makeup/costume error nearly cost him his life and prevented him from completing his role of the Tin Man! He spent excruciatingly painful weeks recuperating in the hospital, while actor Jack Haley was cast in his place. Later, he played Fess Parker’s sidekick in Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955). Ebsen wowed audiences with his brilliant supporting role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), opposite Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. The following year he gained immortality in playing “a man named Jed (Clampett)” in TV’s rags-to-rags-while-insanely-rich in “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962-’71). The television show is still seen daily in syndication around the globe, and he is a beloved figure. Still, in the original Tin Man’s heart of hearts, he would have rather gained immortality following the yellow brick road…

Quote: "You get more negative reactions than positive reactions as you go through life, and the big lesson is nobody counts you out, but yourself...I never have, I never will." This American legend passed away in 2003.