Keaton, Buster (Joseph Francis Keaton), 1895-1966, American movie actor, b. Piqua, Kans. Considered one of the greatest comic actors in film history, Keaton used his considerable acrobatic skills, which he had developed as a child in vaudeville, in many silent comedies in which he portrayed a deadpan hero who survived against incredible odds. Among these movies are
The Navigator (1924),
The General (1926), and
Steamboat Bill Junior (1927). He made a comeback as a supporting actor in such films as
Sunset Boulevard (1959),
Limelight (1952), and
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966).
See biographies by R. Blesh (1960), M. Meade (1995), and E. McPherson (2005); J. E. Rapf, Buster Keaton: A Bio-Bibliography (1995); J. Kline, The Complete Films of Buster Keaton (2003); studies by G. Wead and G. Lellis (1977), G. Oldham (1996), and R. Knopf (1999).
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