Charlie Chaplin vs Buster Keaton: Difference and Comparison

It is hard to compare great actors as every actor has their style of performing and showcasing their talent. The art of acting is hard as it means living someone else’s life and depicting their emotions.

The art of doing silent comedy films is the most difficult acting skill. Both Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are the kings of silent comedy.

Key Takeaways

1. Charlie Chaplin was a British actor and filmmaker known for his iconic character, the Tramp. At the same time, Buster Keaton was an American actor, director, and writer known for his acrobatic physical comedy.
2. Chaplin’s films were more sentimental and socially conscious than Keaton’s, which were focused more on physical humor and stunts.
3. Chaplin’s career spanned several decades, while Keaton’s success was concentrated in the 1920s.

Charlie Chaplin vs Buster Keaton

Charlie Chaplin was a British actor, comedian, and filmmaker who rose to fame in the early 20th century. Buster Keaton was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker known for his physical comedy. Unlike Chaplin, Keaton’s characters were stoic, deadpan, elaborate, and dangerous stunts.

Charlie Chaplin was a British actor who gained popularity in making silent comedies. He never communicated through dialogue or by using any verbal means in any of the films he acted in.

He depicts and delivers the dialogue through the emotions on his face and uses body language to add more meaning to the role in the movie.

Buster Keaton was an American actor who also gained popularity in making silent movies. But Buster Keaton was more focused on producing films of the violent genre instead of comedy.

He does not use verbal communication in his movies and uses an emotionless face. He delivers his dialogue through the body or sign language.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Charlie Chaplin	Buster Keaton
Means of communication	Charlie Chaplin uses facial emotions and body language to communicate in his films.	Buster Keaton uses an emotionless face and body language to communicate in his films.
Nationality	He was a British actor.	He was an American actor.
Genre	He played many roles in comedy films.	He played roles mostly in violence.
Dressing culture	He wore a bowler hat as his identity.	He wore a pork pie hat as his identity.
Career	He was famous for acting and writing comedy scenes.	He was famous for his superior filmmaker.

What is Charlie Chaplin?

Charlie Chaplin was a British actor born on April 16th 1889. Charlie’s parents were musical performers in London. Charlie had a tough teenage life as his mother was mentally ill and his father failed to perform the parent’s responsibilities.

Charlie worked for numerous travelling vaudeville shows before getting a role in his first film with Mack Sennett’s Keystone in 1913.

Later, he signed many contracts and marked his face in the industry. In 1918, his turning point in the career show “A Dog’s Life” was signed by him. It was a million-dollar contract and had a far-reaching impact on his career.

A Dog’s Life was a movie he directed, and he entered into a contract with First National Pictures. It was a profitable year for him.

Charlie Chaplin was known for his silent comedy. He never communicated through verbal means in his films and only used his facial expressions and body language to express his dialogues.

He wore a bowler hat in his films, signifying his identity.

Paranoia after World War 2 affected his health badly,; he spent his last days in Switzerland until 1977. The previous films of Charlie Chaplin were “Limelight” and “A King in New York.

What is Buster Keaton?

Buster Keaton was an American actor born on October 4th,1895. He is well-known for silent films where he won’t communicate through verbal language, but he uses non-verbal communication like body language.

Mostly, he never shows any emotions on his face and has an emotionless expression. He only relied on his body language for acting.

Buster Keaton played the roles of both comedian and violent filmmaker. Generally, Keaton played more roles in violent movies than comedy genre.

He won numerous awards for silent acting and superior filmmaking. In addition, he performed stunts and was a producer and a screenwriter.

His occupation was comprehensive, and he was successful in every line.

Buster Keaton had low-income family background but revied from it through his successful acting career. However, he went into losses when he signed up for a contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer as he lost his artistic sovereignty.

His wife divorced him, and he became addicted to alcohol. He recovered from that in 1940, remarried, and once again marked his powerful entry into industries.

Buster Keaton won numerous awards in silent films and was a great actor. He died because of lung cancer on February 1st 1966.

Main Differences Between Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton

1. Charlie Chaplin uses his facial expressions to communicate in films, while Buster Keaton shows an emotionless expression on his face and uses body language to communicate.
2. Charlie Chaplin mainly focused on being a great comedian actor and writing comedic pieces, while Buster Keaton focused more on being a filmmaker and acting in the violent genre.
3. Charlie Chaplin wore a bowler hat, while Buster Keaton wore a pork pie hat.
4. Charlie Chaplin got married four times and had eleven kids, while Buster Keaton got married thrice and have two kids.
5. Charlie Chaplin directed Buster Keaton in one of the last films, “Limelight”, while Buster Keaton did not have a chance to direct Charlie Chaplin.

References

1. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520931251-011/html
2. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KeJoqk4QYWsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=buster+keaton&ots=fb7gFKIDr_&sig=9ZgAi2GYyDWurhEqABd58OvMuMk