Joe Keaton

Joseph Hallie Keaton (July 6, 1867 – January 13, 1946) was an American vaudeville performer, eccentric dancer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton and appeared with his son in several films.

Joe Keaton
Keaton in the early 1900s
Born	Joseph Hallie Keaton (1867-07-06)July 6, 1867 Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.
Died	January 13, 1946(1946-01-13) (aged 78) Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Inglewood Cemetery, Inglewood, California
Spouse	Myra Keaton ​ ​ (m. 1894)​
Children	3, including Buster Keaton
Relatives	Eleanor Keaton (daughter-in-law)

Life and career

Keaton was born a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana, to Libbie Jane and Joseph Francis Keaton IV.^[1] Leaving home in 1889, the year of the Land Rush, he homesteaded in the Oklahoma territory for a time, securing a claim three and a half miles northwest of Edmond. A few months into Keaton's residency, the neighboring homesteader (a Canadian whom Keaton had befriended on their shared journey west) was murdered and partially buried by a claim jumper; the body was subsequently discovered, and "justice was meted out" to the murderer by Keaton and a group of three or four men that included Robert Galbreath Jr.^[2]

On May 31, 1894, Joe Keaton eloped with Myra Edith Cutler, who became known as Myra Keaton. Myra performed with Joe in a vaudeville act called the Two Keatons. 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.

When Buster was only a few years old, he joined the act, which became the Three Keatons. 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; when Buster was 21, Myra left him, taking Buster with her.^[3] However, after Buster found success in silent film, he supported Joe and gave him small parts in several movies. Myra and Joe reunited, but eventually split up again. He lived alone in a Hollywood hotel for many years. He stopped drinking with the help of a girlfriend who was a Christian Scientist.^[4]

Death

Joe Keaton died on January 13, 1946, at his home in Hollywood after a long illness, according to the New York Times.^[1] However, Buster later said he was hit by a car,^[5] and state death records show that he died in Ventura.^[6] He was buried in Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, California, in an unmarked grave. In 2018, Keaton fans around the world raised the necessary funds and had the grave marked with a headstone.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1917	A Country Hero	Cy Klone, Garage Owner	Short
1918	Out West	Man on train
	The Bell Boy	Guest
	Good Night, Nurse!	Man in bandages	Short, uncredited
1920	The Scarecrow	Farmer
	Convict 13	Prisoner	Short
	Neighbors	His father
1921	The Goat	Minor role	Short, uncredited
1922	The Electric House	Buster's Father in Prologue
	Day Dreams	The Girls Father
1923	Our Hospitality	The Engineer
1924	Sherlock Jr.	The Girl's Father
1925	Go West	Man in Barber Shop	Uncredited
1926	The General	Union General #1
1928	Steamboat Bill, Jr.		Unconfirmed, uncredited
1934	Evelyn Prentice	Court Reporter	Unconfirmed,[7] uncredited[8]
1935	Palooka from Paducah	Pa Diltz	Short (final film role)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2017	Compression	Unknown	Achieve footage, posthumously release