by Hans J. Wollstein
biography
Arguably American film's first recognizable comedian, John Compson began his career in pictures with the legendary Biograph company in New York around 1908. Predating both Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand at Biograph, Compson had some success with a character named Jones, a sort of pre-1910 sitcom character, but farce was not highly regarded at Biograph or, in fact, anywhere else at the time and he played a variety of standard supporting roles as well. By 1910 he was with Edison, where he often appeared as a character named Bumptious, which in all likelihood was merely Jones under a different name. He was with upstart independent producer IMP at the time of his death from pneumonia and diabetes.
