And by Buddy Cole I of course mean Scott Thompson, the actor and comedian perhaps best known as "the gay one" from the groundbreaking comedy series The Kids in the Hall.

Raised in Ontario, Thompson was asked to leave his University for being "disruptive", joined a sketch comedy troupe called The Love Cats, and met Mark McKinney, who brought him into the Kids.

The Kids made quite a splash on American television due to their cross-dressing habits and their frequent gay storylines and characters -- and as someone who grew up literally counting the minutes until their shows would air, I think I can safely say that they made quite an impact on gay visibility.

Aside from the kids, Thompson turned in memorable performances on television (The Larry Sanders Show, Providence, the Tales of the City series), in movies (Another Gay Movie, Millennium, Mickey Blue Eyes) and on stage both as a part of the Kids and in his own tours as Kids character Buddy Cole, the cocktail-swilling, acid-tongued sissy.

To honor Thompson's work and continued presence as an out-loud, out-proud comic genius, here are a few choice clips: Buddy Cole's prison monologue, and the Kids skit, "Scott Thompson presents Scott Thompson". Happy birthday, Scott!