Joseph “Buster” Keaton (1895-1966) Born into a family of vaudeville performers Began performing on stage at the age of 3

Magician Harry Houdini gave him the nickname “Buster” at 18 months.

1917 – starts working in movies with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle as his mentor By 1921 – Keaton has his own production facility Like Chaplin, Keaton is writer, actor, director with complete control over his films

Keaton became known for his physical comedy and stunts with a deadpan expression He always did all of his own stunts Keaton almost always had his signature pork pie hat.

The General (1926)

Opened to mixed to negative reviews Too dramatic for a comedy Others questioned making a Civil War comedy Keaton lost creative control over his films Signs contract with MGM in 1928 Later says that this is the worst career decisions that he ever made