The 1900s

Buster Keaton Debuts in Vaudeville as "The Human Mop" with The Three Keatons

Buster Keaton joined his family's vaudeville act at approximately three years old, documented in billing as Buster Keaton, the Human Mop, from 1902. A Cultural History of Comedy in the Age of Empire notes that vaudeville's influence is evident in Keaton's expressive deadpan, comedic timing, and insistence on performing stunts himself in a single take: a translation of the live performer's relationship with physical risk into film comedy.