Biography: Buster Keaton on AllMovie

He began life as the child of a physically abusive and alcoholic vaudeville entertainer father, but somehow survived this tumult and spun himself into one of the most popular movie comedians outside of Charlie Chaplin. For a time, the "Great Stone Face," as Buster Keaton came to be known, held court among Hollywood's elite, and it seemed that his star might never dim. Yet tragically, enormous personal complications beset him, including struggles with mental illness and a drinking problem that threatened to end his career forever. All was not lost, however, for Keaton eventually rebounded into the limelight, with a spectacular career renaissance in the 1960s and the rerelease of his classic silent films; this regained popularity extended far beyond his death in 1966. The documentary special Biography: Buster Keaton tells this astonishing story by drawing from clips of Keaton's films, archival footage of the great star and extensive interviews.