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Buster Keaton is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer, Editor and Stunts American born on 3 october 1895 at Piqua (USA)

Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton
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Birth name Joseph Frank Keaton Junior
Nationality USA
Birth 3 october 1895 at Piqua (USA)
Death 1 february 1966 (at 70 years) at Los Angeles (USA)
Creator of Buster Keaton Comedies

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, vaudevillian, comedian, filmmaker, stunt performer, and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".

Buster Keaton (his lifelong stage name) was recognized as the seventh-greatest director by Entertainment Weekly. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Keaton the 21st-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Critic Roger Ebert wrote of Keaton's "extraordinary period from 1920 to 1929, [when] he worked without interruption on a series of films that make him, arguably, the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies." His career declined afterward with a dispiriting loss of his artistic independence when he was hired by MGM, which resulted in a crippling alcoholism that ruined his family life. However, he recovered in the 1940s, remarried and revived his career to a degree as an honored comic performer for the rest of his life, earning an Academy Honorary Award in 1958.

Orson Welles stated that Keaton's The General is "the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made." A 2002 worldwide poll by Sight & Sound ranked Keaton's The General as the 15th best film of all time. Three other Keaton films received votes in the magazine's survey: Our Hospitality, Sherlock, Jr., and The Navigator.

Biography

In 1921, Keaton married Natalie Talmadge, sister-in-law of his boss, Joseph Schenck, and sister of actresses Norma Talmadge and Constance Talmadge. She co-starred with Keaton in Our Hospitality. The couple had two sons, James (June 2, 1922– February 14, 2007) and Robert (February 3, 1924– July 19, 2009), but after the birth of Robert, the relationship began to suffer.

Influenced by her family, Talmadge decided not to have any more children and this led to the couple staying in separate bedrooms. Her financial extravagance (she would spend up to a third of his salary on clothes) was another factor in the breakdown of the marriage. Keaton dated actresses Dorothy Sebastian beginning in the 1920s and Kathleen Key in the early 1930s. After attempts at reconciliation, Talmadge divorced Keaton in 1932, taking his entire fortune and refusing to allow any contact between Keaton and his sons, whose last name she had changed to Talmadge. Keaton was reunited with them about a decade later when his older son turned 18. With the failure of his marriage, and the loss of his independence as a filmmaker, Keaton lapsed into a period of alcoholism.

In 1926, Keaton spent $300,000 to build a 10,000-square-foot (930 m) home in Beverly Hills designed by architect Gene Verge, Sr., which was later owned by James Mason and Cary Grant. Keaton's "Italian Villa" can be seen in Keaton's film Parlor, Bedroom and Bath. Keaton later said, "I took a lot of pratfalls to build that dump."

The house suffered approximately $10,000 worth of damage from a fire in the nursery and dining room in 1931. Keaton was not at home at the time, and his wife and children escaped unharmed, staying at the home of Tom Mix until the following morning.

Keaton was at one point briefly institutionalized; however, according to the TCM documentary So Funny it Hurt, Keaton escaped a straitjacket with tricks learned during his vaudeville days. In 1933, he married his nurse, Mae Scriven, during an alcoholic binge about which he afterwards claimed to remember nothing (Keaton himself later called that period an "alcoholic blackout"). Scriven herself would later claim that she didn't know Keaton's real first name until after the marriage. The singular event that triggered Scriven filing for divorce in 1935 was her finding Keaton with Leah Clampitt Sewell (libertine wife of millionaire Barton Sewell) on July 4 the same year in a hotel in Santa Barbara. When they divorced in 1936, it was again at great financial cost to Keaton.

In 1940, Keaton married Eleanor Norris (July 29, 1918– October 19, 1998), who was 23 years his junior. She has been credited by Jeffrey Vance with saving his life by stopping his heavy drinking, and helped to salvage his career. The marriage lasted until his death. Between 1947 and 1954, they appeared regularly in the Cirque Medrano in Paris as a double act. She came to know his routines so well that she often participated in them on TV revivals.

Best films

Limelight (1952)
(Actor)

Usually with

Edward F. Cline
Edward F. Cline
(21 films)
Joseph Schenck
Joseph Schenck
(44 films)
Elgin Lessley
Elgin Lessley
(29 films)
Joe Roberts
Joe Roberts
(20 films)
Roscoe Arbuckle
Roscoe Arbuckle
(21 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Buster Keaton (145 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

The Image Book, 1h25
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Origin Suisse
Genres Drama, Documentary
Actors Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Gos, Buster Keaton, Jean Gabin, Douglas Fairbanks, Jean Marais
Roles (film archive footage)
Rating62% 3.1006653.1006653.1006653.1006653.100665
Selon Jean-Luc Godard, il s'agit d'un film en six parties dont les cinq premières constituent « une très longue introduction [...] comme si avant de voir la main, on voit séparément les cinq doigts», la sixième étant «une espèce de fable » sur une fausse révolution conçue par un chef d'un émirat fictif privé de ressources pétrolières.
That's Entertainment! III, 1h53
Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentary films about cities, Musical films, Documentary films about films
Actors Gene Kelly, June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Esther Williams
Roles (archive footage)
Rating74% 3.7388153.7388153.7388153.7388153.738815
Troisième volet de "Il était une fois Hollywood", "That's Entertainment III" nous propose un nouveau panorama de l'age d'or de la MGM mais aussi des chutes rarissimes, des séquences coupées lors de la sortie des films et des essais d'autres stars que celles qui furent finalement choisies.
Buster's Bedroom, 1h44
Origin German
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Donald Sutherland, Geraldine Chaplin, Amanda Ooms, Valentina Cortese, David Warrilow, Taylor Mead
Roles séquences d'archives
Rating54% 2.7236352.7236352.7236352.7236352.723635
A dreamy-eyed young woman, Micha (Ooms), is intent on immersing herself in the life and work of her icon, the comic actor, Buster Keaton. Micha soon finds herself in Santa Barbara at Nirvana House, a large, mostly abandoned villa. The residents are a strange group of characters that appear to inhabit lives outside of real time. Nirvana House is also the location where Keaton himself frequented over his alcohol problems and was even detained in a straitjacket in the villa. Micha shares this history in common with her idol when she is also placed in a straitjacket but manages to escape.
That's Entertainment!, 2h15
Directed by Jack Haley Jr.
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about films, Films about music and musicians, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentary films about cities, Musical films, Documentary films about films
Actors Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Peter Lawford, Liza Minnelli
Roles (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rating77% 3.89473.89473.89473.89473.8947
Cette nostalgique leçon d'histoire recèle les trésors cachés des plus grandes comédies musicales de la MGM ainsi que de nombreux autres extraits merveilleux mais moins célèbres, avec Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Eleanor Powell et même Clark Gable chantant et dansant. « Il était une fois Hollywood » est une véritable gourmandise pour cinéphiles et amateurs de comédies musicales.
4 Clowns
4 Clowns (1970)
, 1h37
Directed by Robert Youngson
Genres Documentary
Themes Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase, Buster Keaton, Jean Arthur, Bartine Burkett
Roles (archive footage)
Rating76% 3.8412853.8412853.8412853.8412853.841285
The film is divided into three sections. The first section deals with early silent film works of Laurel and Hardy prior to the two becoming a team as well as their later work as a team. The second section deals with the career of Charlie Chase. The third section deals with Buster Keaton, The film is a compilation of excerpts from some of these actor's more notable projects.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1h39
Directed by Richard Lester
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films set in Africa, Films about sexuality, Théâtre, Erotic films, Musical films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals
Actors Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Michael Crawford, Annette Andre
Roles Erronius
Rating67% 3.3963453.3963453.3963453.3963453.396345
In the city of Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero, Pseudolus (Zero Mostel) is "the lyingest, cheatingest, sloppiest slave in all of Rome", whose only wish is to buy his freedom from his master's parents, the henpecked Senex (Michael Hordern) and his dominating wife Domina (Patricia Jessel). When he finds out that his master, Senex's handsome but dim son Hero (Michael Crawford), has fallen in love with Philia (Annette Andre), a beautiful virgin courtesan from the house of Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers), buyer and seller of beautiful women next door, Pseudolus makes a deal: he will get the girl for Hero in return for his freedom. Unfortunately, the virgin has been sold to the great Roman soldier, Captain Miles Gloriosus (Leon Greene), who even now is on his way from conquering Crete to claim her as his bride. Pseudolus blackmails his overseer, Hysterium (Jack Gilford) into masquerading as the corpse of Philia to fool the captain, but things go wrong at every turn.
The Scribe
The Scribe (1966)

Genres Comedy
Actors Buster Keaton, Cec Linder
Roles Journalist
Rating60% 3.00043.00043.00043.00043.0004
Court métrage humoristique produit par la Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. Il démontre les choses à faire et à ne pas faire en matière de sécurité sur les chantiers de construction. Le film est la dernière séquence filmée par des professionnels de la légende du cinéma Buster Keaton, tournée des mois avant sa mort d'un cancer du poumon le 1er février 1966. Il recrée plusieurs routines de sa jeunesse, ainsi que du nouveau matériel pour le film. Le plus remarquable était sa recréation d'un bâillon de son film de 1918 The Bell Boy dans lequel il essuie le sol en utilisant uniquement la pointe de la vadrouille, petit à petit assis sur le sol.Ld
Buster Keaton Rides Again, 55minutes
Directed by Gerald Potterton
Origin Canada
Genres Biography, Documentary
Themes Films about films, Films about television, Transport films, Rail transport films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité, Documentary films about technology, Documentary films about films
Actors Buster Keaton, Gerald Potterton
Roles Himself
Rating72% 3.632093.632093.632093.632093.63209
Avec Buster Keaton est un documentaire de 1965 sur le tournage du film The Railrodder (avec Buster Keaton), également tourné en 1965. Bien qu'il ne s'agisse que d'un documentaire de production, ce film est en fait plus long que The Railrodder, qui ne dure que 24 minutes. Les deux films ont été produits par l'Office national du film du Canada. Avec Buster Keaton montre des extraits de précédents films de Keaton, Butcher Boy (1917), The frozen north (1922), Seven Chances (1925), et le mécano de la Générale (1927). Le film a été réalisé par John Spotton et narré par Michael Kane.
Film
Film (1965)
, 24minutes
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Films about films
Actors Buster Keaton, James Karen
Roles The Man
Rating73% 3.6893953.6893953.6893953.6893953.689395
Throughout the first two parts almost everything is seen through the eye of the camera (designated in the script as E), although there are occasional moments when O's perception is seen. In the third part, much more of O’s perception of the room and its contents is given. In order to distinguish between the two perceptions, objects seen by O were shot through a lens-gauze, blurring his perception while E's perception was shot without gauze or filters, keeping the images sharp.
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, 1h30
Directed by William Asher
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Seafaring films, Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Musical films
Actors Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, Harvey Lembeck, Buster Keaton, John Ashley
Roles Bwana
Rating48% 2.410012.410012.410012.410012.41001
Frankie (Frankie Avalon) goes to Tahiti on Naval Reserve duty. While cavorting with local girls, Frankie realizes that Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) might be disloyal to him. When Frankie seeks help from a witch doctor (Buster Keaton), the witch doctor sends a sea beauty, Cassandra (Beverly Adams), to lure Ricky (Dwayne Hickman), an advertising exec, away from Dee Dee.
The Railrodder, 25minutes
Directed by Buster Keaton, Gerald Potterton
Origin Canada
Genres Comedy
Themes Transport films, Rail transport films
Actors Buster Keaton
Roles The Man
Rating69% 3.492183.492183.492183.492183.49218
The film begins with Keaton, playing an unnamed English gentleman, reading a newspaper in London, England. A full-page ad proclaiming "SEE CANADA NOW!" catches his attention. He promptly throws the newspaper away and jumps into the Thames. He subsequently reemerges on the east coast of Canada (at Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia), having apparently swum across the Atlantic, where he is greeted by a sign indicating the direction to the other side of Canada, 3,982½ miles away.
Sergeant Deadhead, 1h30
Directed by Norman Taurog
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Military humor in film, Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Frankie Avalon, Deborah Walley, Cesar Romero, Buster Keaton, John Ashley, Fred Clark
Roles Airman Blinken
Rating48% 2.4279452.4279452.4279452.4279452.427945
Sergeant Deadhead is bumbling soldier who is accidentally blasted into space. When he returns home he is a national hero but has also developed a massive ego. A soldier who looks exactly like him, Sergeant Donovan, is found to take his place.
War Italian Style, 1h25
Directed by Luigi Scattini
Genres War, Comedy
Themes Military humor in film, Political films, Buddy films, Le désert, Guerre du désert
Actors Buster Keaton, Ciccio Ingrassia, Martha Hyer, Fred Clark, Lino Banfi, Renato Chiantoni
Roles Gen. von Kassler
Rating50% 2.5346552.5346552.5346552.5346552.534655
Two US Marines who are so incompetent that they are sent to the European Theatre of Operations end up in the Battle of Anzio where they face the German's giant artillery piece "Anzio Annie".
Beach Blanket Bingo, 1h38
Directed by William Asher
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Mermaids in film, Musical films
Actors Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Harvey Lembeck, John Ashley, Deborah Walley, Jody McCrea
Roles Buster
Rating56% 2.803472.803472.803472.803472.80347
A singer, Sugar Kane (Linda Evans), is unwittingly being used for publicity stunts for her latest album by her agent (Paul Lynde), for example, faking a skydiving stunt, actually performed by Bonnie (Deborah Walley). Meanwhile, Frankie (Frankie Avalon), (duped into thinking he rescued Sugar Kane), takes up skydiving at Bonnie's prompting; she secretly wants to make her boyfriend Steve (John Ashley) jealous. This, of course, prompts Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) to also try free-falling. Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his Malibu Rat Pack bikers also show up, with Von Zipper falling madly in love with Sugar Kane. To top all this, Bonehead (Jody McCrea) falls in love with a mermaid (Marta Kristen). Eventually, Von Zipper "puts the snatch" on Sugar Kane. The film takes a The Perils of Pauline-like twist, with the evil South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey) kidnapping Sugar and tying her to a buzz-saw.