Buster Keaton
Born: 1895-10-03 in Piqua, Kansas, USA
Died: 1966-02-01
Known For: Directing
Biography
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer 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. He was recognized as the seventh-greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Keaton the 21st-greatest male star of all time.
Filmography
2026
- R.E.M x Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr as Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.
2025
- Hodgepodge as Self (archive footage)
- Hitman² ... (In Memory Of)
2023
- Stunts: A Taste for Risk as Various Roles (archive footage)
2020
- Time Travelers: Uncovering Old LA in Keaton Comedies as Self (archive footage)
2019
- Barney's Wall as Self (archive footage)
2018
- The Image Book as (archive footage)
2017
- Busta Keaton in COPS as The Young Man (archive footage from 'Cops')
2016
- Looking for Charlie: Or, the Day the Clown Died as Self (archive footage)
- Buster Keaton The Shorts Collection 1917-1923
- Buster Keaton: The Genius Destroyed by Hollywood as Self
- Chaplin/Keaton: Duel of Legends as (archive footage)
2015
- Notfilm as Self (archive footage)
2014
- You Have to Live Somewhere as (archive footage)
2011
- Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2008
- The Smelly Janitor ... (Thanks)
2007
- The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk as Self (archive footage)
- Kings of Comedy: Masters of the Silent Screen as (archive footage)
2006
- Legends as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts as (archive footage)
2004
- So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM as Self (archive footage)
2001
- Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume One as Various
- Arbuckle & Keaton, Volume Two as Various
2000
- Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy as Self (archive footage)
1999
- Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults as (archive footage)
1994
- That's Entertainment! III as (archive footage)
1992
- Funny Business as (archive footage)
1990
- Dance Crazy in Hollywood as Self - Actor (archive footage)
1987
- Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow as Self (archive footage)
1984
- Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
1979
- The Hollywood Clowns as (archive footage)
1976
- It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
- Hooray for Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
1974
- That's Entertainment! as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Three Stooges Follies as Clarence Plunkett (archive footage)
1970
- The Metaphysics of Buster Keaton as Self (archival footage)
- 4 Clowns as (archive footage)
1966
- The Scribe as Journalist
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Erronius
1965
- Film as The Man
- Sergeant Deadhead as Airman Blinken
- War Italian Style as Gen. von Kassler
- Buster Keaton Rides Again as Self
- How to Stuff a Wild Bikini as Bwana
- Salute to Stan Laurel as Self
- Beach Blanket Bingo as Buster
- The Railrodder as The Man
1964
- Pajama Party as Chief Rotten Eagle
- The Hollywood Palace as Self
- The Big Parade of Comedy as Buster in 'The Cameraman' (archive footage)
1963
- Burke's Law as Mortimer Lovely
- The Greatest Show on Earth
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World as Jimmy the Crook
- The Sound of Laughter as Elmer Butts
- 30 Years of Fun as (archive footage)
- There's No Business Like No Business as Self
- The Triumph of Lester Snapwell as Lester Snapwell
1962
- Crazy Days as Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers as Self
- The Great Chase
- Langlois-Keaton à Paris as Self
- Simon Pure Beer as Self
1961
- The Home Owner as The Home Owner
1960
- Route 66
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as Lion Tamer
- When Comedy Was King as edited from 'Cops' (archive footage)
- The Devil to Pay as Diablos
- Lifetime of Comedy as (archive footage)
1959
- The Twilight Zone as Woodrow Mulligan
1958
- The Donna Reed Show
- The Adventures of Mr. Pastry as Professor
- No Time at All as Harrison
1957
- The Buster Keaton Story ... (Technical Advisor)
1956
- Playhouse 90 as Harrison
- Around the World in 80 Days as Train Conductor
- The Rosemary Clooney Show as Self
1955
- Screen Director's Playhouse as Kelsey Dutton
1954
- The Awakening as The Man
1953
- L'Incantevole nemica as L'apprenti boulanger dans la pièce de théâtre
1952
- This Is Your Life as Self
- Limelight as Calvero's Partner
- Paradise for Buster as Buster
1951
- Life with Buster Keaton
- The Slappiest Days of Our Lives as (archive footage)
1950
- What's My Line? as Self
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- Sunset Boulevard as Buster Keaton
- The Misadventures of Buster Keaton as Buster
1949
- In the Good Old Summertime as Hickey
- The Lovable Cheat as Goulard
- You're My Everything as Butler
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
1947
- A Duel to the Death as The First Fisherman
1946
- God's Country as Old Tarp / Mr. Boone
- Boom in the Moon
1945
- That Night with You as Sam - Short Order Cook
- That's the Spirit as L.M.
- She Went to the Races as Bellboy (uncredited)
1944
- Bathing Beauty ... (Creative Consultant)
- San Diego I Love You as Bus Driver
- Take It or Leave It as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1943
- Forever and a Day as Wilkins
1941
- General Nuisance as Peter Hedley Lamar Jr.
- So You Won't Squawk as Eddie
- She's Oil Mine as Buster Waters, plumber
- Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1 as Self
1940
- New Moon as Prisoner - 'LuLu'
- The Villain Still Pursued Her as William Dalton
- Pardon My Berth Marks as Elmer - Newspaper Copyboy
- Nothing But Pleasure as Clarence Plunkett
- The Taming of the Snood as Buster Keaton
- Li'l Abner as Lonesome Polecat
- The Spook Speaks as Buster
- His Ex Marks the Spot as Buster - the husband
1939
- Hollywood Cavalcade as Buster Keaton
- Quick Millions ... (Story)
- Pest from the West as Sir
- The Jones Family in Hollywood ... (Story)
- Mooching Through Georgia as Homer Cobb
- Hollywood Hobbies as Self (uncredited)
1938
- Streamlined Swing ... (Director)
- Too Hot to Handle ... (Creative Consultant)
- Life in Sometown, U.S.A. ... (Director)
- Hollywood Handicap ... (Director)
1937
- Jail Bait
- Love Nest on Wheels as Elmer
- Ditto as The Forgotten Man
1936
- Mixed Magic as Elmer 'Happy' Butterworth
- The Invader as Leander Proudfoot
- Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs as Self
- Three on a Limb as Elmer Brown
- Grand Slam Opera as Elmer Butts
- The Chemist as Elmer Triple
- Blue Blazes as Elmer
1935
- La Fiesta de Santa Barbara as Self
- Palooka from Paducah as Jim Diltz
- Tars and Stripes as Apprentice Seaman Elmer Doolittle
- One Run Elmer as Elmer
- The Timid Young Man as Milton
- Hayseed Romance as Elmer Dolittle
- The E-Flat Man as Elmer
1934
- Allez Oop as Elmer
- The King of the Champs-Élysées as Buster Garner / Jim le Balafré
- The Gold Ghost as Wally
1933
- Hollywood on Parade No. A-6 as Self
- What! No Beer? as Elmer J. Butts
1932
- Speak Easily as Professor Post
- The Passionate Plumber as Elmer E. Tuttle
1931
- We're switching to Hollywood as Self
- The Stolen Jools as Policeman
- Parlor, Bedroom and Bath as Reginald Irving
- Sidewalks of New York as Harmon
- Casanova wider Willen as Reggie Irving
1930
- Doughboys as Elmer J. Stuyvesant, Jr.
- Estrellados as Canuto Cuadratin
- Free and Easy as Elmer
- The Voice of Hollywood
- Forward, March!
1929
- Spite Marriage as Elmer
- Tide of Empire as Drunk Cowboy Thrown Out of Saloon (uncredited)
- The Hollywood Revue of 1929 as Self / Princess Raja
1928
- The Cameraman as Buster
- Steamboat Bill, Jr. as William 'Willie' Canfield Jr.
- The Baby Cyclone as Stunt Double (uncredited)
1927
- College as Ronald, The Boy
- Character Studies as Self (uncredited)
- Life in Hollywood No. 1 as Self
1926
- The General as Johnnie Gray
- Battling Butler as Alfred Butler
1925
- Seven Chances as James 'Jimmie' Shannon
- Go West as Friendless
- The Iron Mule as Indian (uncredited)
1924
- Sherlock Jr. as Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr.
- The Navigator as Rollo Treadway
1923
- Three Ages as The Boy
- Our Hospitality as William McKay
- The Balloonatic as The Young Man
- The Love Nest as Buster Keaton
1922
- Day Dreams as The Young Man
- Cops as The Young Man
- The Paleface as Little Chief Paleface
- The Blacksmith as Blacksmith's Assistant
- Seeing Stars as Self
- The Frozen North as The Bad Man
- The Electric House as Buster
- My Wife's Relations as The Husband
1921
- The Goat as The Goat
- The Boat as The Boat Builder
- Hard Luck as Suicidal Boy
- The High Sign as Our Hero
- The Haunted House as Bank Clerk
- The Play House as Orchestra / Minstrels / Dancers / Audience / Stagehand
1920
- The Scarecrow as Farmhand
- Convict 13 as Golfer Turned Prisoner, Guard
- Neighbors as The Boy
- The Saphead as Bertie Van Alstyne
- One Week as The Groom
- The Round-Up as Indian (uncredited)
- The Garage as Mechanic / Fireman
1919
- Back Stage as Stagehand
- The Hayseed as Manager, General Store
1918
- The Cook as The Waiter (uncredited)
- Out West as Sheriff, Saloon Owner
- Moonshine as Revenue Agent
- The Bell Boy as Bellboy
- Good Night, Nurse! as Dr. Hampton
1917
- Coney Island as Rival / Cop with Moustache
- Oh, Doctor! as Junior Holepoke
- The Butcher Boy as Buster
- A Reckless Romeo as Blind Organ Grinder
- The Rough House as Gardener / Delivery Boy / Cop
- His Wedding Night as Delivery boy