Charlie Chaplin
Born April 16, 1889 (London, England)
Died December 25, 1977 (Vevey, Switzerland)

Buster Keaton
Born April 4, 1895 (Piqua, Kansas)
Died February 1, 1966 (Woodland Hills, California)

Harold Lloyd
Born April 20, 1893 (Burchard, Nebraska)
Died March 3, 1971 (Hollywood, California)

Actors, film directors, filmmakers

Many people who were young during the Roaring Twenties remember with special fondness the experience of going to the movies to see the great clowns of the silent films (motion pictures did not include sound technology until the late 1920s; before that, any dialog appeared as written text on the screen). These comic actors helped to set the tone of outrageous fun that characterized the decade. In many cases, their antics not only produced smiles, but helped to express the mixed feelings that many people had about the amazing, changing, and sometimes confusing world around them. The leading comedy star was undoubtedly Charlie Chaplin, who won lasting, worldwide recognition and adoration...