Joe Keaton

Acting

Joe Keaton

Born July 6, 1867 · Terre Haute, Indiana, USA

Died January 13, 1946 · aged 78

Joseph Hallie Keaton (July 6, 1867 – January 13, 1946) was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton and appeared with his son in several films. Keaton was born a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana, to Libbie Jane and Joseph Francis Keaton IV. Leaving home in 1889, the year of the Land Rush, he homesteaded in the Oklahoma territory for a…

Known For

The GeneralThe General · 1926
The General
7.91926
MovieComedyWar
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
Sherlock Jr.Sherlock Jr. · 1924
Sherlock Jr.
8.01924
MovieActionComedy
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last RideA Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride · 2026
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride
2026
MovieDocumentary
From 1920 to 1965, the great Buster Keaton made spectacular use of locomotives in his films. This video essay charts the course of his iconic cinematic career across the many tracks he rode along on screen: as a young man in the surge of his silent movie ascent in Our Hospitality, while making his masterpiece The General, and traversing the width of Canada on a railway speeder car as an old man in The Railrodder.
Our HospitalityOur Hospitality · 1923
Our Hospitality
7.51923
MovieComedyRomance
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.
Good Night, Nurse!Good Night, Nurse! · 1918
Good Night, Nurse!
5.71918
MovieComedy
Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape.
Go WestGo West · 1925
Go West
6.91925
MovieComedyWestern
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
The ScarecrowThe Scarecrow · 1920
The Scarecrow
7.51920
MovieComedy
Two farmhands compete for the love of the farmer's daughter.
The GoatThe Goat · 1921
The Goat
7.21921
MovieComedy
A series of misadventures occur when Buster is mistaken for a criminal on the lam.

Movies

The GeneralThe General · 1926
The General
7.91926
MovieComedyWar
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
Sherlock Jr.Sherlock Jr. · 1924
Sherlock Jr.
8.01924
MovieActionComedy
A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meager skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last RideA Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride · 2026
A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride
2026
MovieDocumentary
From 1920 to 1965, the great Buster Keaton made spectacular use of locomotives in his films. This video essay charts the course of his iconic cinematic career across the many tracks he rode along on screen: as a young man in the surge of his silent movie ascent in Our Hospitality, while making his masterpiece The General, and traversing the width of Canada on a railway speeder car as an old man in The Railrodder.
Our HospitalityOur Hospitality · 1923
Our Hospitality
7.51923
MovieComedyRomance
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.
Good Night, Nurse!Good Night, Nurse! · 1918
Good Night, Nurse!
5.71918
MovieComedy
Roscoe's wife, tired of his endless drunkenness, reads of an operation that cures alcoholism and has him admitted to No Hope Sanitarium to get the surgery. Roscoe, wanting out, eventually disguises himself as a nurse to effect his escape.
Go WestGo West · 1925
Go West
6.91925
MovieComedyWestern
With little luck at keeping a job in the city a New Yorker tries work in the country and eventually finds his way leading a herd of cattle to the West Coast.
The ScarecrowThe Scarecrow · 1920
The Scarecrow
7.51920
MovieComedy
Two farmhands compete for the love of the farmer's daughter.
The GoatThe Goat · 1921
The Goat
7.21921
MovieComedy
A series of misadventures occur when Buster is mistaken for a criminal on the lam.
NeighborsNeighbors · 1920
Neighbors
7.11920
MovieComedyRomance
The Romeo and Juliet story played out in a tenement neighborhood with Buster and Virginia's families hating each other over the fence separating their buildings.
The Electric HouseThe Electric House · 1922
The Electric House
6.81922
MovieComedy
Botany major Buster mistakenly graduates in electrical engineering and is hired to wire a new home.
Day DreamsDay Dreams · 1922
Day Dreams
6.51922
MovieComedy
In order to impress the father of a girl he is keen on, a young man goes to the city in search of work. In his letters home he writes of his various jobs which her imagination expands into much nobler ones than those that he is actually attempting.
Convict 13Convict 13 · 1920
Convict 13
6.71920
MovieComedy
A young golfer is mugged by an escaped convict and finds himself in a prison where he foils a jailbreak.
The Bell BoyThe Bell Boy · 1918
The Bell Boy
6.41918
MovieComedy
At the Elk's Head Hotel bellhops torment the lobby, each other and guests. The elevator is powered by a stubborn horse. A sham robbery turns into a real one. And there is a chase on a runaway trolley.
A Country HeroA Country Hero · 1917
A Country Hero
5.51917
MovieComedy
Fatty plays a village blacksmith in “Jazzville,” an imaginary rural village. There is a rivalry between Fatty and Cy Klone, the garage owner, over the affections of a pretty schoolteacher. A city chap unites the two rivals when he tries to steal the girl. An annual village ball features amateur talent in vaudeville stunts with Keaton as a wriggling Fatima who charms a long black stocking from a cigar box like a snake. The film is presumed lost.
Palooka from PaducahPalooka from Paducah · 1935
Palooka from Paducah
5.41935
MovieComedy
A hillbilly family, hard-hit by the end of Prohibition, decide to set the biggest brother up as a professional wrestler.
Out WestOut West · 1918
Out West
6.01918
MovieComedyWestern
The story involves Arbuckle coming to the western town of Mad Dog Gulch after being thrown off a train and chased by Indians. He teams up with gambler/saloon owner Bill Bullhum, in trying to keep the evil Wild Bill Hickup away from Salvation Army girl, Salvation Sue. Fatty and Buster have a series of adventures trying to beat St. John, until they discover his one weakness: his ticklishness.