“Goodbye” Buster Keaton – Died 1 February 1966

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 a deadpan facial expression earning him the nickname “The Great Stone Face”.

Keaton’s most successful period was undoubtedly from 1920 to 1929, when he worked without interruption on a succession of films. His career declined afterward when he succumbed to alcohol misuse. However, he later recovered in the 1940s, remarried and successfully revived his career to a certain extent.

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”