Lou Costello Net Worth, Relationships, Age/Birthdate & Birthday

When a Funny Man Took Flight: The Early Spark of Lou Costello

Lou Costello — born Louis Francis Cristillo on March 6, 1906 in Paterson, New Jersey — didn’t step into comedy with a silver spoon. His father, Sebastiano Cristillo, was an Italian immigrant from Caserta who worked as an insurance agent, while his mother, Helen Rege, had a mixed heritage of Italian, French, and Irish descent. 

As a young man, Costello showed athletic promise — he was reportedly a strong basketball player and even boxed under the name “Lou King.” But the pull toward show business was stronger. In 1927 he headed to Hollywood hoping for stardom. What he found instead was labor — work as a studio extra and occasional stuntman at MGM and other studios. 

When acting didn’t take off, Costello pivoted. He turned to burlesque and vaudeville, where his natural comedic instinct — a mixture of physical humor, expressive timing, and a lovable goofball charm — began to shine. 

A Legendary Pairing: How “Abbott and Costello” Took Off

It wasn’t until 1935 that Costello met Bud Abbott at a burlesque show — a chance substitution led to an instant chemistry that would change both their lives. 

Costello and Abbott refined their act with Abbott playing the “straight man” and Costello delivering the bumbling, lovable fool. Their comic timing, repartee, and physical comedy resonated deeply with audiences. 

By 1940, the duo had made their film debut in One Night in the Tropics, marking the beginning of a string of box-office hits.  Over the next decade and a half, Costello and Abbott would appear in dozens of films — including classics like Buck Privates, Hold That Ghost, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and many more.

During World War II, the pair became among the highest-paid entertainers in the world, and their popularity touched nearly every American household.

The Fortune That Slipped Through His Fingers

Given the massive success of “Abbott and Costello,” one might assume that Costello died a wealthy man. The reality was more complicated. At the time of his death, it’s estimated that Lou Costello’s net worth was around US$250,000.  Adjusted for inflation, that would be roughly US$2.3 million today.

That figure — modest by today’s Hollywood standards — stands in stark contrast to the enormous box-office successes and popularity he enjoyed during his career. According to some estimates, between the 1940s and mid-1950s the films of Abbott and Costello grossed over US$120 million at the box office (equivalent to well over a billion in today’s dollars), and the team reportedly earned around US$25 million in total from films alone (which, by some accounts, would translate to hundreds of millions in current value).

So what happened? Sources suggest that profligate spending, poor tax planning, and financial mismanagement played a role — in particular, the demands of the IRS in the 1950s forced both Costello and Abbott to sell mansions and even the rights to some of their most famous films to cover debts.

In short: Lifetime success, but a financial legacy that fell far short of expectations.

Off-Stage Life: Love, Loss, and Heartbreak

Costello’s personal life, like his career, was marked by both joy and tragedy. In 1934, he married burlesque dancer Anne Battler. Together they had four children. 

Their son, Lou Jr. (nicknamed “Butch”), tragically drowned in a swimming pool just days before his first birthday. The loss devastated Costello — he later broke down in tears during a radio broadcast while mourning his boy. 

Despite this heartbreak, Costello continued to work. But the strains — personal and financial — weighed heavily.

The Final Curtain — And a Legacy That Refuses to Fade

On March 3, 1959, just three days shy of what would have been his 53rd birthday, Lou Costello died of a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California.  He was laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles. 

Although his financial wealth at death may have seemed modest, his true legacy lies in cultural wealth — the laughter he brought, the timeless comedy he created, and the indelible mark he and his partner left on entertainment. Their signature routine Who's on First? remains one of the most celebrated bits in comedy history. 

In the years since his passing, Costello’s influence has echoed across generations. His name lives on in classic films, TV reruns, comedy lore — and in the hearts of fans who still erupt in laughter at a perfectly timed “Heeeey — Abbott!”

Why Lou Costello Still Matters

When you watch modern physical comedy, fast-paced banter, or routines built on misunderstandings and slapstick — there’s a little bit of Costello in there. His style, timing, and willingness to fully commit to the absurd laid groundwork that many later comedians built upon.

More than that: his story is a reminder that fame and fortune don’t always go hand in hand. Costello’s journey shows how an entertainer can rise from obscurity, command the world’s laughter, and yet leave behind complicated financial and personal legacies.

For fans, historians, and new audiences discovering him for the first time, Lou Costello remains a symbol — of humor’s power, Hollywood’s rapid rise and fall, and the bittersweet cost of greatness.