- Got his stage name when he was a lad working at Dinty Moore's Tavern in the Bronx as a singer/waiter. He had to wear a uniform with 48 buttons, and with his red hair people started referring to him as Red Buttons.
- Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch).
- Received a special tribute as part of the Annual "In Memoriam" tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007).
- He was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent.
- Father of Adam and Amy, with wife Alicia.
- Made a special Academy Awards appearance in 1998, at the The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998), and in 2005 at the The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) and participated in the Oscar Winners Tribute sequence along with other Academy Award winners.
- Composer, actor, comedian and author, he joined ASCAP in 1963 and wrote several popular songs (which he often personally performed), including "Strange Things Are Happening" and "The Ho-Ho Song".
- Was the oldest guest ever to appear on Dennis Miller Live (1994). On the 6 August 1999 program, he was 80 years, 6 months and 1 day old.
- Appeared in two films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar: Sayonara (1957) and The Longest Day (1962).
- He was honored with the Israel Cultural Award and with an annual fellowship in his name by the Israel Cancer Research Fund.
- A member of the Creative Arts Temple in Los Angeles.
- Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 80-81. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
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