Silent comedy is the unique style of comedy used in the films. The people who were born in 80s or 90s might have heard about silent comedians but the kids of today probably hasn’t heard about the silent era of comedy. The first silent comedy film of 49 second shown to public on 10 June 1895. It was directed and produced by Louis Lumiere. It is the style of comedy in which comedian present a funny story silently. The first international silent comedian star came was the French Max Linder. Following is the list of silent comedians, some of them might be heard of whereas rest have been forgotten.
Best Silent Comedians in the World List
Table of Contents
1. Mr. Bean
Mr. Bean is a British comedian show which is created by Mr. Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis. Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English silent comedy actor and perform the role of Mr. Bean in the Mr. Bean show. Also Mr. Bean is a British sitcom that consisted of 15 episodes. Rowan Atkinson was born on 6 January 1955. He is best known for his use of physical comedy in his Mr. Bean persona, Atkinson is known for opposing the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 law.
Mr. Bean: British Sitcom
2. Charles Chaplin
Charles Chaplin was the most famous silent comedy actor. He was born on 1889 in England and died in 1977. He was the English comic actor, composer and director. During his life he achieved many honor and awards. In 1929 he received three Academy Awards and Honorary Award, in 1972 received Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lincoln Center Film Society.
Charles Chaplin: English Comic Actor
3. Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd was born on 20 April 1893 in U.S. and died in 8 March 1971. In between 1914 and 1947, Lloyd made nearly 200 comedy films, both silent and “talkies”. He was an American actor, comedian, director, producer, screenwriter. He was the best stunt performer for his silent comedy films. He worked with Thomas Edison’s motion picture company at the age of 20. In 1953, Lloyd received an Academy Honorary Award for being a “master comedian and good citizen”.
Harold Lloyd: American Actor
4. Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle
Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle was born on March 24, 1887 in Smith Center, Kansas. He weighed in excess of 13 lb (5.9 kg) at birth, as both parents had slim builds. His father believed the child was not his. Arbuckle enjoyed and performed many singing competitions until his mother’s death in 1899. Arbuckle began his film career with the Selig Polyscope Company in July 1909. Arbuckle was fond of the “pie in the face”, a comedy cliché that has come to symbolize silent-film-era comedy itself.
Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle: American Film Actor
5. Ben Turpin
Ben Turpin started his film carrier in 1907. In 1915 Charlie Chaplin joined the Essanay company and the studio made Turpin his second banana. Turpin was born on 19 September 1869 in New Orleans, Louisiana and died on 2 July 1940. In 1917 he joined the comedy company the Mack Sennett studio. In 1920 Turpin became most popular comics for the film “The Shriek” for “The Sheik”. After getting success, he introduced himself by the phrase “I’m Ben Turpin; I make $3,000 a week.”
Ben Turpin: American Comedian
6. Oliver Norvell Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor. He was born on 18 January 1892 in Georgia and died in 7 August 1957 in California. From 1921 to 1951 , he appeared in 107 short films with his comedy partner Stan Luarel. He was created hiss first film Outwitting Dad, in 1914. Hardy made 50 short one-reel films at Lubin in 1915, then he moved to New York and made films for Pathe, Casino and Edison Studios.
Oliver Norvell Hardy: American Comic Actor
7. Larry Semon
Larry Semon was a famous Actor, Director, Producer, Screen writer during the silent film era. He was born on 9 February 1889 and died in 8 October 1928 at the aged of 39. There are the following nicknames by which audiences knew him as Zigoto, Ridolini, Jaimito and Tomasin. In starting he was a singer but sometimes he worked behind the scenes as a scenario writer, director, and film producer for actor Hughie Mack’s films.
Larry Semon: American Actor
8. Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel was the comic actor , writer and film director. He was the part of comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. In starting he was a musician. Laurel began his film career in 1917 and made his final appearance in 1951. In 1961, Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in comedy.
Stan Laurel: British Comic Actor
9. Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-born film actress. She was the co-founder of Pickford-Fairbanks Studio and United Artists film studio. She was famous as “America’s Sweetheart” and the “girl with the curl. Mary Pickford was awarded Best Actress for her first sound-film role in Coquette (1929) and received an honorary Academy Award in 1976.
Mary Pickford: American-Canadian Film Actress
10. Harry Langdon
Harry Langdon was born on 15 June 1884 and died in 22 December 1944. He was the american comedian. He had a greatest fame list in silent film era at that time. The Sky Scraper aka The Greenhorn, Picking Peaches, Love, Honor, and Obey (the Law!), House of Errors, To Heir is Human and Swingin’ on a Rainbow was the best shoots of his silent film era.
Harry Langdon: American Comedian