Joe Keaton
Encyclopedia
Joe Keaton was an American vaudeville
performer and silent film
actor
. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton
.
, was born Joseph Hallie Keaton a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana
. Keaton was born to Libbie (née
Jane), and Joseph Francis Keaton IV. On May 31, 1894, Joe Keaton eloped with Myra Edith Cutler, who became known as Myra Keaton
. Myra, who had British
and German
ancestry, performed with Joe in a vaudeville act. Joe and Myra's first child was Joseph Frank Keaton, who became known as the silent film actor Buster Keaton
; their other children were Harry Keaton and Louise Keaton.
Buster joined the act when he was only a few years old. The act was a rough-and-tumble one, with Buster being thrown around on stage
most of the time. As the years went by, Joe Keaton became an alcoholic, which forced Buster to quit the act by the time he was a teenager. However, after he hit it big in silent film
, Buster provided Joe with small parts in several movies. Myra and Joe split up long after Buster had become an adult. He lived alone in a Hollywood hotel for many years and was said to have stopped drinking after becoming a Christian
Scientist
. Buster said Joe died as a result of being struck by a car.
, according to the Internet Movie Database
Joe's cause of death was 'struck by car'. Keaton was 78 years old at the time of his death. His burial location is unknown.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performer and silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton 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".Keaton was recognized as the...
.
Information
Keaton, a Scots-Irish AmericanScots-Irish American
Scotch-Irish Americans are an estimated 250,000 Presbyterian and other Protestant dissenters from the Irish province of Ulster who immigrated to North America primarily during the colonial era and their descendants. Some scholars also include the 150,000 Ulster Protestants who immigrated to...
, was born Joseph Hallie Keaton a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. Keaton was born to Libbie (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Jane), and Joseph Francis Keaton IV. On May 31, 1894, Joe Keaton eloped with Myra Edith Cutler, who became known as Myra Keaton
Myra Keaton
Myra Keaton was an American vaudeville performer and film actress. She was the mother of actor Buster Keaton.-Information:...
. Myra, who had British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
ancestry, performed with Joe in a vaudeville act. Joe and Myra's first child was Joseph Frank Keaton, who became known as the silent film actor Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton 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".Keaton was recognized as the...
; their other children were Harry Keaton and Louise Keaton.
Buster joined the act when he was only a few years old. The act was a rough-and-tumble one, with Buster being thrown around on stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
most of the time. As the years went by, Joe Keaton became an alcoholic, which forced Buster to quit the act by the time he was a teenager. However, after he hit it big in silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, Buster provided Joe with small parts in several movies. Myra and Joe split up long after Buster had become an adult. He lived alone in a Hollywood hotel for many years and was said to have stopped drinking after becoming a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. Buster said Joe died as a result of being struck by a car.
Death
Joe Keaton died on January 10, 1946, in Ventura County, CaliforniaVentura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, according to the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
Joe's cause of death was 'struck by car'. Keaton was 78 years old at the time of his death. His burial location is unknown.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | A Country Hero A Country Hero A Country Hero is a 1917 short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Village Blacksmith* Buster Keaton - Vaudeville Artist* Al St... |
Cy Klone, Garage Owner |
| 1918 | The Bell Boy The Bell Boy The Bell Boy is a short film produced and released in 1918 by the Comique film company.The film stars Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton as bellboys in Elk's Head Hotel. They cause trouble with each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse, a sham robbery turns into a real one,... |
Guest |
| Out West Out West (1918 film) Out West is a 1918 short comedy film, a satire on contemporary westerns, starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, and Al St. John. It was the first of Arbuckle's "Comique" films to be filmed on the west coast, the previous five having been filmed in and around New York City... |
Man on train | |
| 1920 | Neighbors Neighbors (1920 film) Neighbors is a 1920 short comedy film written, directed by and starring comedian Buster Keaton.- Plot :Buster Keaton and Virginia Fox play young lovers who live in tenements, the rear of which face each other, with backyards separated by a wooden fence... |
His father |
| The Scarecrow The Scarecrow (1920 film) The Scarecrow is a 1920 short comedy film starring comedian Buster Keaton. It was written and directed by Keaton and Edward F. Cline. The runtime is 19 minutes... |
Farmer (uncredited) | |
| Convict 13 Convict 13 Convict 13 is a 1920 short comedy film starring comedian Buster Keaton. It was written and directed by Keaton and Edward F. Cline.- Plot :Keaton goes from a golf game with his girlfriend to death-row in prison through a case of mistaken identity... |
Prisoner | |
| 1922 | Daydreams Daydreams (1922 film) Daydreams is a 1922 short comedy film directed by and featuring Buster Keaton.-Cast:* Buster Keaton - The Young Man* Renée Adorée - The Girl* Edward F. Cline - The Theater Director * Joe Keaton - The Girls Father... |
The Girls Father (uncredited) |
| The Electric House The Electric House The Electric House is a 1922 short comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton. Keaton plays a botany student who is accidentally awarded an electrical engineering degree. He then attempts to wire a home using many gadgets. The man to whom the degree should have been awarded then exacts... |
Extra (uncredited) | |
| 1923 | Our Hospitality Our Hospitality Our Hospitality is a silent comedy directed, produced, written by and starring Buster Keaton. Released in 1923 by Metro Pictures Corporation, the movie uses slapstick and situational comedy to tell the story of Willie McKay, a city slicker who gets caught in the middle of the infamous Canfield &... |
The Engineer |
| 1924 | Sherlock, Jr. Sherlock, Jr. Sherlock, Jr. is an American silent comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton and written by Clyde Bruckman, Jean Havez and Joseph A. Mitchell... |
Her father |
| 1925 | Go West Go West (1925 film) Go West is a silent movie starring Buster Keaton.Keaton portrays Friendless, who travels west to try to make his fortune. Once there, he tries his hand at bronco-busting, cattle wrangling, and dairy farming, eventually forming a bond with a cow named "Brown Eyes." Eventually he finds himself... |
Man in Barber Shop (uncredited) |
| 1927 | The General The General (1927 film) The General is a 1926 American silent comedy film released by United Artists inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, which happened in 1862. Buster Keaton starred in the film and co-directed it with Clyde Bruckman... |
Union general |
| 1934 | Evelyn Prentice | Undertermined Role (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Palooka from Paducah Palooka from Paducah Palooka from Paducah is a 1935 short comedy film featuring Buster Keaton.-Cast:* Buster Keaton - Jim Diltz* Joe Keaton - Pa Diltz* Myra Keaton - Ma Diltz* Louise Keaton - Sis Diltz* Dewey Robinson - Elmer Diltz* Bull Montana - Bullfrog Kraus... |
Pa Diltz |
See also
- Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton 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".Keaton was recognized as the...
- Camille KeatonCamille KeatonCamille Keaton is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role in the 1978 film I Spit on Your Grave.-Early years:Keaton was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and is a grand-niece of Buster Keaton...
- Harry Keaton
- Myra KeatonMyra KeatonMyra Keaton was an American vaudeville performer and film actress. She was the mother of actor Buster Keaton.-Information:...
- Louise Keaton