Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton

Born: 04 October 1895, Piqua, Kansas, USA
Died: 01 February 1966, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Calafornia, USA

To a lot of people, Buster Keaton is king the of silent comedy and is the definitive example of what we mean by slapstick. His acrobatic style and visual stunts are as impressive today as they were a century ago. His parents were vaudevillians and his own acting career began at the age of three when he appeared with them on stage as the "Three Keatons". The main hook of the comedy act would have Buster roughly thrown around the stage by his father and Buster quickly learnt how to fall and tumble without hurting himself - a skill which would become very useful in his later film career. His nickname is attributed to family friend Harry Houdini, who on seeing him take a big tumble said "That was a real buster (fall)". Keaton also learnt at an early age that the act worked best if he played it without expression - again this deadpan look would become a key feature of his later career. For the next decade and a half Keaton learnt his trade before moving to New York and films.
Life would soon change for Keaton when he befriended Roscoe Arbuckle, who was already a big star. Keaton was hired as his co-star and would go on to make 14 Arbuckle shorts. He was also very interested how films were and became involved in every aspect of the process, from gag writing to directing. Keaton's friendship with Arbuckle would last until Arbuckle's death and during the Virginia Rappe scandal Keaton publically defended him, and in later years gave Arbuckle financial assistance.
Keaton's own popularity grew and he started making his own shorts. The stone face look with the pork pie hat had been perfected and his films were packed with his trademark amazing physical gags and dangerous stunts. Perhaps the most famous example is from "Steamboat Bill Jr" when the side of a house falls on him but he is saved by a small open window. His shorts were great fun but also full of cleverly worked out gags, whether it's the multiple appearances onscreen at the same time in "The Playhouse", the manic chase in "Cops" or logic defying lift sequence in "The Goat".
The shorts soon became 5 reelers and then feature length films, which included "Steamboat Bill Jr" and "Sherlock Jr" (where a stunt left Keaton with a broken bone in his neck!). His greatest work is generally accepted to be "The General", a love story set in the civil war which has Keaton proving his bravery in an extended train chase. The steam train (the General) is almost a co-star and Keaton uses it to great effect to show daring action sequences as well as pathos (especially when the forlorn Keaton sits on the wheel rail as it moves off).The films climax is of a train crashing into a ravine and is reputed to be the most expensive shot of the silent era.
Like many of his time, Keaton struggled with the advent of sound. He moved to MGM, a move which he later said was a mistake. He was teamed with Jimmy Durante but failed to recapture his earlier success. In 1952 he appeared in Chaplin's "Limelight" - this was the only time the 2 greats would appear in a film together.
The fifties presented Keaton with a new opportunity thanks to the increased popularity of television, and he had a successful run with "The Buster Keaton Show". He would also guest star in many tv shows such as "The Twilight Zone" and "The Donna Reed Show", as well as multiple appearances in "Candid Camera" and would see his old films shown to a new generation of audiences. He received an honorary Oscar in 1959 "for his unique talents which brought immortal comedies to the screen". He continued his tv work and made the occasional film. Buster Keaton died of cancer in 1966, aged 70.