Actor, Comic. One of America's best-known comic entertainers, he is remembered as playing the humorous role of 'Mr. (Eustace) Haney' on the CBS television sitcom "Green Acres" (starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor) that aired from September 1965 until April 1971. Born Maxwell Emmett Buttram, he was one of seven children of a traveling Methodist minister. When he was a year old, his father was transferred to Nauvoo, Alabama. He graduated from Mortimer Jordan High School in Morris, Alabama, and then entered Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, to study for the Methodist ministry. While there, he performed in college plays and on a local radio station, before he became a regular on the "WLS National Barn Dance" radio broadcast in Chicago, Illinois. He travelled to Hollywood, California, in the 1940s and became a "sidekick" to Roy Rogers. However, since Rogers already had two regulars, he was soon dropped, but was then picked by Gene Autry, who had recently returned from his World War II service in the Army Air Forces, as a replacement for Smiley Burnette. He went on to co-star with Autry in more than 40 films, and in over 100 television episodes from 1950 until 1955. In the late 1940s, he joined Autry on his radio show, "Melody Ranch," and then on television with "The Gene Autry Show" in 1950. His first Autry film was "Strawberry Roan" in 1948. During the first television season, he went by "Pat" or "Patrick," with a variety of last names. From the second season forward, he used his own name. He lent his voice to several Walt Disney animated features, including "The Aristocrats" (1970, as 'Napoleon,' a hound dog), "Robin Hood" (1973, as the 'Sheriff of Nottingham,' a wolf), "The Rescuers" (1977, as 'Luke' a swamp inhabitant), "The Fox and the Hound" (1981, as 'Chief,' a hunting dog), and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988, as 'Bullet #1'). He had a recurring role as the voice of 'Cactus Jake' on the animated television series "Garfield and Friends," that ran on Saturday mornings from September 1988 to December 1994. One of his last roles was a cameo in "Back to the Future Part III" (1990). His final voice-over was "A Goofy Movie" (1995) that was released a year after his death. His television credits include "The Real McCoys," "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," and "Petticoat Junction." Throughout his career, he was in constant demand as a toastmaster and an after-dinner speaker, where his agile and sophisticated wit belied his countrified appearance. In 1982, he founded the Golden Boot Awards to honor actors, directors, stunt people, and other industry professionals who have made significant contributions to the western film genre. He was married to Dorothy McFadden from 1936 until their divorce in 1946, and then to actress Sheila Ryan from 1952 until her death in 1975. He died of renal failure at the age of 78. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television as well as a star on the Alabama Stars of Fame in Birmingham.