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

• 2023Stunts: A Taste for Risk — Various Roles (archive footage)
• 2020Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty — archive footage
• 2018The Image Book — (archive footage)
• 2016Chaplin/Keaton: Duel of Legends — (archive footage)
• 2014You Have to Live Somewhere — (archive footage)
• 2008The Smelly Janitor — Thanks
• 2007Kings of Comedy: Masters of the Silent Screen — (archive footage)
• 2006Buster Keaton: From Silents to Shorts — (archive footage)
• 1999Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults — (archive footage)
• 1994That's Entertainment! III — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Funny Business — (archive footage)
• 1984Going Hollywood: The '30s — (archive footage)
• Hollywood — Self (archive footage), Self (archive footage, uncredited)
• 1979The Hollywood Clowns — (archive footage)
• 1976Bob Hope's World of Comedy — (archive footage)
• 1976That's Entertainment, Part II — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1974That's Entertainment! — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1974The Three Stooges Follies — Clarence Plunkett (archive footage)
• 19704 Clowns — (archive footage)
• 1966A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — Erronius
• 1966The Scribe — Journalist
• 1965Beach Blanket Bingo — Buster
• 1965Film — The Man
• 1965How to Stuff a Wild Bikini — Bwana
• 1965Sergeant Deadhead — Airman Blinken
• 1965The Railrodder — The Man, Director
• 1965War Italian Style — Gen. von Kassler
• 1964Pajama Party — Chief Rotten Eagle
• 1964The Big Parade of Comedy — Buster in 'The Cameraman' (archive footage)
• 196330 Years of Fun — (archive footage)
• Burke's Law — Mortimer Lovely
• 1963It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World — Jimmy the Crook
• The Greatest Show on Earth
• 1963The Sound of Laughter — Elmer Butts
• 1963The Triumph of Lester Snapwell — Lester Snapwell
• 1962Crazy Days — Various (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1962The Great Chase
• 1961The Home Owner — The Home Owner
• 1960Lifetime of Comedy — (archive footage)
• Route 66
• 1960The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — Lion Tamer
• 1960The Devil to Pay — Diablos
• 1960When Comedy Was King — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• The Twilight Zone — Woodrow Mulligan
• 1958No Time at All — Harrison
• 1958The Adventures of Mr. Pastry — Professor
• The Donna Reed Show
• 1957The Buster Keaton Story — Technical Advisor
• 1956Around the World in 80 Days — Train Conductor
• Playhouse 90 — Harrison
• Screen Director's Playhouse — Kelsey Dutton
• 1954The Awakening — The Man
• 1953L'Incantevole nemica — Baker's Apprentice in Play
• 1952Limelight — Calvero's Partner
• 1952Paradise for Buster — Buster
• 1951Life with Buster Keaton
• 1951The Slappiest Days of Our Lives — (archive footage)
• 1950Sunset Boulevard — Buster Keaton
• 1950The Misadventures of Buster Keaton — Buster
• 1949In the Good Old Summertime — Hickey, Additional Writing, Screenplay
• 1949The Lovable Cheat — Goulard
• 1949You're My Everything — Butler
• 1947A Duel to the Death — The First Fisherman
• 1946Boom in the Moon
• 1946God's Country — Old Tarp / Mr. Boone
• 1945She Went to the Races — Bellboy (uncredited)
• 1945That Night with You — Sam - Short Order Cook
• 1945That's the Spirit — L.M.
• 1944Bathing Beauty — Creative Consultant
• 1944San Diego I Love You — Bus Driver
• 1944Take It or Leave It — (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 1943Forever and a Day — Wilkins
• 1941General Nuisance — Peter Hedley Lamar Jr.
• 1941She's Oil Mine — Buster Waters, plumber
• 1941So You Won't Squawk — Eddie
• 1940His Ex Marks the Spot — Buster - the husband
• 1940Li'l Abner — Lonesome Polecat
• 1940New Moon — Prisoner - 'LuLu'
• 1940Nothing But Pleasure — Clarence Plunkett
• 1940Pardon My Berth Marks — Elmer - Newspaper Copyboy
• 1940The Spook Speaks — Buster
• 1940The Taming of the Snood — Buster Keaton
• 1940The Villain Still Pursued Her — William Dalton
• 1939Hollywood Cavalcade — Buster Keaton
• 1939Mooching Through Georgia — Homer Cobb, Writer
• 1939Pest from the West — Sir, Writer
• 1939Quick Millions — Story
• 1939The Jones Family in Hollywood — Story
• 1938Hollywood Handicap — Director
• 1938Life in Sometown, U.S.A. — Director
• 1938Streamlined Swing — Director
• 1938Too Hot to Handle — Creative Consultant
• 1937Ditto — The Forgotten Man
• 1937Jail Bait
• 1937Love Nest on Wheels — Elmer, Director
• 1936Blue Blazes — Elmer, Director
• 1936Grand Slam Opera — Elmer Butts, Writer, Director
• 1936Mixed Magic — Elmer 'Happy' Butterworth, Director
• 1936The Chemist — Elmer Triple
• 1936The Invader — Leander Proudfoot
• 1936Three on a Limb — Elmer Brown
• 1935Hayseed Romance — Elmer Dolittle
• 1935One Run Elmer — Elmer
• 1935Palooka from Paducah — Jim Diltz
• 1935Tars and Stripes — Apprentice Seaman Elmer Doolittle, Director
• 1935The E-Flat Man — Elmer
• 1935The Timid Young Man — Milton
• 1934Allez Oop — Elmer, Director
• 1934The Gold Ghost — Wally, Director
• 1934The King of the Champs-Élysées — Buster Garner / Jim le Balafré
• 1933What! No Beer? — Elmer J. Butts
• 1932Plumber in Love — Elmer E. Tuttle, Producer
• 1932Speak Easily — Professor Post, Producer
• 1932The Passionate Plumber — Elmer E. Tuttle
• 1931Buster se marie — Reggie Irving, Producer
• 1931Casanova Against His Will — Reggie Irving, Producer
• 1931Parlor, Bedroom and Bath — Reginald Irving, Producer
• 1931Sidewalks of New York — Harmon
• 1931The Stolen Jools — Policeman
• 1930Doughboys — Elmer J. Stuyvesant, Jr., Story
• 1930Estrellados — Canuto Cuadratin
• 1930Forward, March!
• 1930Free and Easy — Elmer, Producer
• 1930The Voice of Hollywood
• 1929Spite Marriage — Elmer, Producer, Director
• 1929Tide of Empire — Drunk Cowboy Thrown Out of Saloon (uncredited)
• 1928Steamboat Bill, Jr. — Steamboat Bill Jr., Director, Screenplay
• 1928The Baby Cyclone — Stunt Double (uncredited)
• 1928The Cameraman — Buster, Producer
• 1927College — Ronald, The Boy, Director
• 1926Battling Butler — Alfred Butler, Director, Producer
• 1926The General — Johnnie Gray, Screenplay, Editor, Director, Producer, Stunts
• 1925Go West — Friendless, Director, Producer, Writer
• 1925Seven Chances — James 'Jimmie' Shannon, Director, Producer, Editor
• 1925The Iron Mule — Indian (uncredited)
• 1924Sherlock Jr. — Projectionist / Sherlock, Jr., Director, Editor, Producer
• 1924The Navigator — Rollo Treadway, Director, Editor, Producer
• 1923Our Hospitality — William McKay, Director, Producer, Stunts
• 1923The Balloonatic — The Young Man, Director, Writer
• 1923The Love Nest — Buster Keaton, Director, Writer
• 1923Three Ages — The Boy, Director, Writer, Producer
• 1922Cops — The Young Man, Director, Writer, Editor
• 1922Day Dreams — The Young Man, Writer, Director
• 1922My Wife's Relations — The Husband, Director, Writer
• 1922The Blacksmith — Blacksmith's Assistant, Writer, Director
• 1922The Electric House — Buster, Director, Writer
• 1922The Frozen North — The Bad Man, Writer, Director
• 1922The Paleface — Little Chief Paleface, Director, Writer
• 1921Hard Luck — Suicidal Boy, Writer, Director
• 1921The Boat — The Boat Builder, Writer, Director
• 1921The Goat — The Goat, Writer, Director
• 1921The Haunted House — Bank Clerk, Director, Writer
• 1921The High Sign — Our Hero, Writer, Director
• 1921The Play House — Orchestra / Minstrels / Dancers / Audience / Stagehand, Director, Writer
• 1920Convict 13 — Golfer Turned Prisoner, Guard, Director, Editor, Writer
• 1920Neighbors — The Boy, Director, Writer
• 1920One Week — The Groom, Director, Editor, Writer
• 1920The Garage — Mechanic / Fireman
• 1920The Round-Up — Indian (uncredited)
• 1920The Saphead — Bertie Van Alstyne, Writer
• 1920The Scarecrow — Farmhand, Writer, Director
• 1919Back Stage — Stagehand
• 1919The Hayseed — Manager, General Store
• 1918Good Night, Nurse! — Dr. Hampton
• 1918Moonshine — Revenue Agent, Editor
• 1918Out West — Sheriff, Saloon Owner
• 1918The Bell Boy — Bellboy
• 1918The Cook — The Waiter (uncredited)
• 1917A Country Hero — Vaudeville Artist
• 1917A Reckless Romeo — Blind Organ Grinder
• 1917Coney Island — Rival / Cop with Moustache
• 1917His Wedding Night — Delivery boy
• 1917Oh, Doctor! — Junior Holepoke
• 1917The Butcher Boy — Buster
• 1917The Rough House — Gardener / Delivery Boy / Cop, Writer, Director

Appearances as themselves (42)

• 2026A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride — Self (Archival)
• 2026Bound for Glory: The General as Keaton's Cinematic Manifesto — Self (Archival)
• 2025Hodgepodge — Self (archive footage)
• 2021The Real Charlie Chaplin — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2020Time Travelers: Uncovering Old LA in Keaton Comedies — Self (archive footage)
• 2019Barney's Wall — Self (archive footage)
• 2016Buster Keaton: The Genius Destroyed by Hollywood — Self
• 2016Looking for Charlie: Or, the Day the Clown Died — Self (archive footage)
• 2015Notfilm — Self (archive footage)
• 2011Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2007The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk — Self (archive footage)
• Legends — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2004So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM — Self (archive footage)
• 2000Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy — Self (archive footage)
• 1995The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies — Self (archive footage)
• 1990Dance Crazy in Hollywood — Self - Actor (archive footage)
• Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow — Self (archive footage)
• 1976Hooray for Hollywood — Self (archive footage)
• 1976It's Showtime — Self (archive footage)
• 1970The Metaphysics of Buster Keaton — Self (archival footage)
• 1965Buster Keaton Rides Again — Self
• 1965Salute to Stan Laurel — Self
• The Hollywood Palace — Self
• 1963There's No Business Like No Business — Self
• 1962Langlois-Keaton à Paris — Self
• 1962Simon Pure Beer — Self
• 1962The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers — Self
• The Rosemary Clooney Show — Self
• This Is Your Life — Self
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self
• What's My Line? — Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• 1941Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1 — Self
• 1939Hollywood Hobbies — Self (uncredited)
• 1936Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs — Self
• 1935La Fiesta de Santa Barbara — Self
• 1933Hollywood on Parade No. A-6 — Self
• 1931We’re Switching to Hollywood — Self
• 1929The Hollywood Revue of 1929 — Self / Princess Raja
• 1927Character Studies — Self (uncredited)
• 1927Life in Hollywood No. 1 — Self
• 1922Seeing Stars — Self