Born Louis Francis Cristillo in Paterson, New Jersey, Lou Costello made more than 45 films. He traveled to Hollywood after his early career as a comedian on stage in burlesque. The partner of straightman Bud Abbott, Costello usually played a bumbling goofball. His catchphrase: “I’m a baaaad boy!”

His death came unexpectedly — from a heart attack at the age of 53 — shortly after he dissolved his comedy partnership with Abbott and appeared solo in the film THE 30-FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK. We look back on the life of Lou Costello because he was not only born in the month of March, but also died on March 3, 1959.

And here are Abbott and Costello in “Who’s On First,” one of the most famous comic bits of all time.