Buster Keaton
Biography
Buster Keaton was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker known for silent movies that combined physical comedy, inventive stunts and a deadpan expression. Born in Kansas, he began as a child in his family's vaudeville act before moving to film, where Roscoe Arbuckle hired him after his first appearance. Joseph M. Schenck gave him a production unit, and Keaton made two-reel comedies before turning to features. Among his features were Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924) and Seven Chances (1925). He made The General (1926), Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) and The Cameraman (1928). Orson Welles considered The General the finest comedy ever made, and the American Film Institute later placed The Navigator, The General and Sherlock Jr. on its list of great comedies. After signing with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1928, Keaton lost his artistic independence and was fired in 1933. He later did cameos in Sunset Boulevard (1950), In the Good Old Summertime (1949) and Limelight (1952), and worked in television.
70years old at death
- Born Kansas
- Died
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Joseph Frank Keaton (birth name)Also credited as The Great Stone Face, Joseph Keaton, Frigo and Joseph Francis Keaton
Movie Career
- Films
- 28
- Career span
- 46 years1920 to 1966
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Big break
In February 1917, Keaton met Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle at the Talmadge Studios in New York City. Arbuckle asked him to jump in and start acting, and Keaton was hired on the spot after his first film, The Butcher Boy.
A change of course
Keaton borrowed a camera at the end of the day to learn how it worked, then took it to his hotel room and had it apart and back together by morning. He later said he quickly became Arbuckle's second director and whole gag department.
Own stunts
Keaton insisted on performing his own stunts because, as he put it, stuntmen do not get laughs, and he did them at great physical risk.
A first
In vaudeville, Keaton's act was known as "The Roughest Act That Was Ever in the History of the Stage", while he himself went by "The Little Boy Who Can't Be Damaged".
Getting ready for a role
Keaton came up with and altered the pork pie hats he wore on screen himself. In 1964 he said that for one of them he began with a good Stetson, cut it down, and stiffened the brim using sugar water.
A role that slipped away
Keaton was considered for a part in the studio's all-star hit Grand Hotel, but the consumptive Kringelein was played by Lionel Barrymore instead.
Buster Keaton movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Edward F. Cline directed nine of these films, Edward Sedgwick four and Charles Reisner two. Joe Roberts appears in nine of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Joe Roberts's page
Edward F. Cline's page
Joe Keaton's page
Sybil Seely's page
Virginia Fox's page
Edward Brophy's page
Edward SedgwickDirector, 4 films, 1928 to 1932
All films by Edward Sedgwick
Charles ReisnerDirector, 2 films, 1928 to 1929
All films by Charles Reisner
Also three films together2 more actors
- Sidney BraceySpeak Easily (1932), Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931) and The Cameraman (1928)
- Snitz EdwardsCollege (1927), Battling Butler (1926) and Seven Chances (1925)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1959 | Honorary Award | Honorary | |
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.