Professional Career
Button decided to enter Harvard Law School in the fall of 1952. Because of the time commitments, Button retired from amateur skating that year in order to focus on law school. Following his retirement, Button signed on to skate with the Ice Capades during his law school vacations.
After his competitive skating career ended, Button toured with Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice, and completed a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree at Harvard Law School. After graduation, he was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C.. He co-produced "Dick Button's Ice-Travaganza" for the 1964 New York World's Fair, starring 1963 World Champion Donald McPherson, but the ice show lost money and closed after a few months. As an actor, Button has performed in movie roles such as "The Young Doctors" starring Fredrich March, to "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan" starring Tony Curtis. And, in television roles on The Hallmark Hall of Fame's "Hans Brinker" co-starring Tab Hunter, as well as "Dancing is a Man's Game" dancing alongside star Gene Kelly and famed New York City Ballet star Edward Villella, and appeared in "Mr. Broadway" starring Mickey Rooney. Other television appearances include "Beverly Hills 90210" and Stephen Spielberg's "The Animaniacs", "Omnibus", "Art Linkletter's House Party", numerous appearances on the Hallmark Hall of Fame, "Christmas at Rockefeller Center" with Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence; among his other numerous guest star television appearances. On the stage, Button has starred in the touring productions of Irving Berlin's "Call Me Madam", Leonard Bernstein's"On the Town", The Gershwins' "Girl Crazy", Rodgers and Hart's "Pal Joey", "The Teahouse of the August Moon", "Tall Story", and "Picnic" as well as in the New York City Center revivals of "Mister Roberts" and "South Pacific" to name a few. Button also studied acting with the famed Sandy Meisner at his school in New York City.
Button provided commentary for CBS's broadcast of the 1960 Winter Olympics, launching a decades-long career in television broadcast journalism. Button again did commentary for CBS's broadcast of the 1961 United States Figure Skating Championships. Then, beginning in 1962, he worked as a figure skating analyst for ABC Sports, which had acquired the rights to the U.S. Championships as well as the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships. During ABC's coverage of figure skating events in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Button became the sport's best-known analyst, well known for his frank and often caustic appraisal of skaters' performances. He won an Emmy Award in 1981 for Outstanding Sports Personality – Analyst. Although other U.S. television networks aired the Winter Olympics from the 1990s onward, Button still appeared on ABC's broadcasts of the U.S. and World Figure Skating Championships until ABC removed them from its broadcast schedule in 2008. Button's reputation and influence in the sport of figure skating therefore long outlasted his own competitive and performing career.
During the 2006 Games, Button appeared on loan from ABC to once again provide commentary on the Olympics. Also during the 2006 Winter Olympics, USA Network ran a show called Olympic Ice. A recurring segment, called "Push Dick's Button," invited viewers to send in questions which Button answered on the air. The segment proved very popular so ABC and ESPN put it into various broadcasts, most notably the 2007 Skate America, the 2007 United States Figure Skating Championships, and the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships.
In the fall of 2010 Button was lead Judge on the popular ABC show "Skating with the Stars" produced by BBC Worldwide, producers of the hit show "Dancing with the Stars". In 2009, Button served as a judge on the CBC's Battle of the Blades reality show. He again appeared on NBC to do commentary for 2010 Games.
As founder of Candid Productions, he created a variety of made-for-television sports events, including the "World Professional Figure Skating Championships", "Challenge of Champions", Dorothy Hamill specials for HBO, and other non-skating sporting events like Superstars."Super Teams", "Junior Superstars", "Women's Superstars", and the popular "Battle of the Network Stars"
Button was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976, the same year it was founded.
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