Myra Keaton
Encyclopedia
Myra Keaton was an American vaudeville
performer and film
actress. She was the mother of actor Buster Keaton
.
; the daughter of Frank Luke Cutler (1849–1935) and Sarah Elizabeth Shaffer (1850–1887). She had an older brother, Burt Melvin Cutler, and a half-brother, Clinton M. Cutler.
As teenagers, Myra and Burt traveled and performed with their father's medicine show. Joe Keaton
joined the show while they traveled through Oklahoma Territory
in 1893. Myra and Joe married on May 31, 1894, and began performing together in various medicine shows and vaudeville. Their son, silent film actor Buster Keaton
(Joseph Frank Keaton), was born October 4, 1895. Their other children included Harry Keaton and Louise Keaton. At the age of four, Buster officially joined the family's vaudeville act, which was billed as "The Three Keatons". Myra and Buster left the act in 1917, as a result of problems arising from Joe Keaton's drinking.
All members of the Keaton family occasionally appeared in Buster's silent and sound comedies. Although estranged in later years, Myra was married to Joe until Joe's death in 1946.
, California aged 78. She died while her son, Buster, was on tour in England. She was buried at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performer and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actress. She was the mother of actor Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
.
Information
Myra Keaton was born Myra Edith Cutler in Modale, IowaModale, Iowa
Modale is a city in Harrison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 303 at the 2000 census.Modale just stands for "Missouri-dale", a reference to the nearby Missouri River.-Geography:Modale is located at ....
; the daughter of Frank Luke Cutler (1849–1935) and Sarah Elizabeth Shaffer (1850–1887). She had an older brother, Burt Melvin Cutler, and a half-brother, Clinton M. Cutler.
As teenagers, Myra and Burt traveled and performed with their father's medicine show. Joe Keaton
Joe Keaton
Joe Keaton was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton.-Information:...
joined the show while they traveled through Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
in 1893. Myra and Joe married on May 31, 1894, and began performing together in various medicine shows and vaudeville. Their son, silent film actor Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
(Joseph Frank Keaton), was born October 4, 1895. Their other children included Harry Keaton and Louise Keaton. At the age of four, Buster officially joined the family's vaudeville act, which was billed as "The Three Keatons". Myra and Buster left the act in 1917, as a result of problems arising from Joe Keaton's drinking.
All members of the Keaton family occasionally appeared in Buster's silent and sound comedies. Although estranged in later years, Myra was married to Joe until Joe's death in 1946.
Death
Myra Keaton died on July 21, 1955, in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California aged 78. She died while her son, Buster, was on tour in England. She was buried at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California.
See also
- Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
- Camille KeatonCamille KeatonCamille Keaton is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role in the 1978 film I Spit on Your Grave.-Early years:Keaton was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and is a grand-niece of Buster Keaton...
- Harry Keaton
- Joe KeatonJoe KeatonJoe Keaton was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He was the father of actor Buster Keaton.-Information:...
- Louise Keaton