TLDR: Pat Buttram (1915 to 1994) played the fast-talking salesman Mr. Haney on Green Acres and earlier was Gene Autry’s sidekick. He also voiced the Sheriff of Nottingham in Disney’s Robin Hood. He died on January 8, 1994. Checked October 19, 2026.
Every town has a man who will sell you something you do not need and then sell it back to you. In Hooterville that man was Mr. Haney, and the voice that delivered his pitches sounded like gravel in a blender.
The actor behind it was Pat Buttram, who had spent years riding alongside a singing cowboy before he ever met a talking pig. Here is who he was and what else he did.
Who Was Pat Buttram?
Pat Buttram was born on June 19, 1915, in Addison, Alabama, according to Wikipedia. He died on January 8, 1994, at age 78, at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles from kidney failure.
He is buried at the cemetery at Maxwell Chapel United Methodist Church in the Pebble community near Haleyville, Alabama. He got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1988.
How Did Pat Buttram Get Famous?
On radio he was a regular on WLS’s National Barn Dance in Chicago and had his own CBS program, per Wikipedia. In the late 1940s he joined Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch show.
Wikipedia says Roy Rogers dropped him and Autry then picked him up. His first Autry film was The Strawberry Roan in 1948, and he went on to co-star in more than 40 films and over 100 TV episodes.
Who Was Mr. Haney?
Eustace Haney was the town swindler on Green Acres, always arriving with a bargain that was never a bargain. He sold Oliver Douglas his farm, his generator and nearly everything else.
Buttram played him in 147 episodes from 1965 to 1971, according to Wikipedia. Meet the rest of the cast in the Green Acres cast guide, including Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor.
Was Mr. Haney on Petticoat Junction?
Yes, three times. TVmaze lists him in “The County Fair” on February 8, 1966, “The Other Woman” on October 11, 1969 and “A Most Momentous Occasion” on November 22, 1969.
See how those visits fit in our guide to the Hooterville crossover episodes. He also has a place in the story of Arnold Ziffel, since Arnold’s romance was with Haney’s basset hound, Cynthia.
Pat Buttram’s Disney Voices
Buttram’s voice was his fortune. Wikipedia lists him as Napoleon in The Aristocats, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood in 1973, Luke the muskrat in The Rescuers and Chief the hunting dog in The Fox and the Hound.
He also voiced a Toon bullet in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Wikipedia quotes someone describing his voice as sounding like a handful of gravel thrown in a Mix-Master.
What Did Pat Buttram Say About the Rural Purge?
He gave the cancellations their best-known line: “CBS cancelled everything with a tree, including Lassie.” We tell the whole story in our piece on the CBS rural purge.
Pat Buttram and Return to Green Acres
He came back as Mr. Haney for Return to Green Acres in 1990, where IMDb says Haney tries to buy up residents’ property for a developer. Read more in our guide to the Hooterville reunions and in Frank Cady, who played Sam Drucker.
Pat Buttram’s Family
Wikipedia says he married actress Sheila Ryan in 1952, and she died in 1975. They had a daughter, Kathrine, known as Kerry, born in 1954.
For the full Hooterville map, see our guide to the Hooterville universe.
Pat Buttram: Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Pat Buttram?
Pat Buttram was an American actor best known as Mr. Haney on Green Acres and as Gene Autry’s sidekick.
Who played Mr. Haney on Green Acres?
Pat Buttram played Mr. Haney in 147 episodes from 1965 to 1971.
Was Mr. Haney on Petticoat Junction?
Yes. TVmaze lists Mr. Haney in three Petticoat Junction episodes between 1966 and 1969.
When did Pat Buttram die?
He died on January 8, 1994, at age 78, from kidney failure.
Where was Pat Buttram born?
He was born in Addison, Alabama, on June 19, 1915.
Which Disney characters did Pat Buttram voice?
He voiced Napoleon in The Aristocats, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood, Luke in The Rescuers and Chief in The Fox and the Hound.
Who said CBS cancelled everything with a tree?
Pat Buttram is quoted as saying it about the rural purge.
Was Pat Buttram in Return to Green Acres?
Yes. He reprised Mr. Haney in the 1990 reunion movie.
Was Pat Buttram Gene Autry’s sidekick?
Yes. He co-starred in more than 40 Autry films and over 100 TV episodes.
Who was Pat Buttram married to?
He married actress Sheila Ryan in 1952, and she died in 1975.
