Buster Keaton Biography

Joseph Frank Keaton, better known as Buster Keaton, was a comedian and actor who rose to prominence with his silent films in which he often played the character of a poker faced man with a deadpan expression. So famous was his expressionless, stoic face that he earned the nickname of “The Great Stone Face”. Born into a vaudeville family, Keaton was destined for the show business. He began performing with his parents in ‘The Three Keatons’ when he was just three years old. His family performed a comedy sketch in which the young boy would be constantly tossed and thrown around the stage, often inviting the wrath of authorities who accused his parents of child abuse. It was during this time that he realized that he could elicit more laughter from the audience by making a poker face rather than by laughing himself during the comedy act. He made his transition from vaudeville to films when he was 21 years old. Initially apprehensive about the medium of film, his reservations went away after the success of ‘The Saphead’ in which he played a lead role for the first time. More roles followed and he was soon a major comedian in Hollywood; he was ranked as the 21st greatest male star by the American Film Institute.