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Physical comedy, also known as slapstick
Slapstick

Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated extreme physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense, such as a character being hit in the face with a heavy frying pan or running into a brick wall....
 is a comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humour
Humour

Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. Many theories exist about what humour is and what social function it serves....
.

Whether a pratfall (i.e. landing on the buttocks), a silly face, or by walking into walls, physical comedy (even used to entertain small children) is a common and rarely subtle form of comedy
Comedy

Comedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western culture origins are found in Ancient Greece....
. It is a clown
Clown

Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, Cosmetics, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion....
ish exploitation of movement, the most primordial human medium of expression, which predates language and the introduction of cerebral elements to humour such as cultural tradition, erudition and word puns.

The Three Stooges
Three Stooges

The Three Stooges was an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid?20th century best known for their numerous short subject films....
, Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were a popular comedy team of thin, British-born Stan Laurel and heavy, American-born Oliver Hardy . They became famous during the early half of the 20th century for their work in motion pictures and also appeared on stage throughout America and Europe....
, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball was an United States comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model , film industry, and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy....
, Don Knotts
Don Knotts

Jesse Donald Knotts was an United States comedy actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show , and as landlord Ralph Furley on the television sitcom Three's Company in the 1980s....
, Ken Berry
Ken Berry

Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an United States dancer, and comedic actor. Berry, like Dan Dailey and Buddy Ebsen , began his career as a dancer and went on to star in 1960s sitcoms....
, "Rob" Petrie (Dick van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke

Richard Wayne ?Dick? Van Dyke is an United States actor, presenter and entertainer, with a career spanning six decades. He is best known for his starring roles in Mary Poppins , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis: Murder....
's character on the The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show is an United States television situation comedy which initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 and ran until June 1, 1966....
), Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper

Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest....
 (John Ritter
John Ritter

Jonathan Southworth ?John? Ritter was an United States actor and comedian perhaps best known for playing Jack Tripper in the American Broadcasting Company sitcom Three's Company....
's character on Three's Company
Three's Company

Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from 1977 in television to 1984 in television on American Broadcasting Company. It is a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House....
), Kramer
Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer is a character on the American Television program Situation comedy Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David's former neighbor....
 (Michael Richards
Michael Richards

Michael Anthony Richards is an Emmy Award-winning United States actor and comedian, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld....
's character on Seinfeld
Seinfeld

Seinfeld is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning Television in the United States Situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in Broadcast syndication....
), Chris Farley
Chris Farley

Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an United Statesn comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's The Second City and later went on to the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live....
, Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson

'Rowan Sebastian Atkinson' is an England comedian, actor and writer, famous for his work on the classic sitcoms Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line and Mr....
's "Mr. Bean
Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean was a British comedy television series of 14 half-hour episodes starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were written by Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis and one by Ben Elton....
", Johnny Lever
Johnny Lever

Janardhana Rao famously known as Johnny Lever ...... Muthuswamy*Teri Payal Meree Geet *Yugandhar *Aansoo Bane Angaarey ...
 and Benny Hill
Benny Hill

Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill , was an England comedian, actor and singer, best known for his television programme The Benny Hill Show....
 are all examples of physical comedy characters.






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Encyclopedia


Physical comedy, also known as slapstick
Slapstick

Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated extreme physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense, such as a character being hit in the face with a heavy frying pan or running into a brick wall....
 is a comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humour
Humour

Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. Many theories exist about what humour is and what social function it serves....
.

Whether a pratfall (i.e. landing on the buttocks), a silly face, or by walking into walls, physical comedy (even used to entertain small children) is a common and rarely subtle form of comedy
Comedy

Comedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western culture origins are found in Ancient Greece....
. It is a clown
Clown

Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, Cosmetics, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion....
ish exploitation of movement, the most primordial human medium of expression, which predates language and the introduction of cerebral elements to humour such as cultural tradition, erudition and word puns.

The Three Stooges
Three Stooges

The Three Stooges was an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid?20th century best known for their numerous short subject films....
, Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were a popular comedy team of thin, British-born Stan Laurel and heavy, American-born Oliver Hardy . They became famous during the early half of the 20th century for their work in motion pictures and also appeared on stage throughout America and Europe....
, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball was an United States comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model , film industry, and star of the landmark sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy....
, Don Knotts
Don Knotts

Jesse Donald Knotts was an United States comedy actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show , and as landlord Ralph Furley on the television sitcom Three's Company in the 1980s....
, Ken Berry
Ken Berry

Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an United States dancer, and comedic actor. Berry, like Dan Dailey and Buddy Ebsen , began his career as a dancer and went on to star in 1960s sitcoms....
, "Rob" Petrie (Dick van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke

Richard Wayne ?Dick? Van Dyke is an United States actor, presenter and entertainer, with a career spanning six decades. He is best known for his starring roles in Mary Poppins , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , The Dick Van Dyke Show and Diagnosis: Murder....
's character on the The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show is an United States television situation comedy which initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 and ran until June 1, 1966....
), Jack Tripper
Jack Tripper

Jack Tripper is a fictional character on the sitcoms Three's Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp, of Man About the House and Robin's Nest....
 (John Ritter
John Ritter

Jonathan Southworth ?John? Ritter was an United States actor and comedian perhaps best known for playing Jack Tripper in the American Broadcasting Company sitcom Three's Company....
's character on Three's Company
Three's Company

Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from 1977 in television to 1984 in television on American Broadcasting Company. It is a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House....
), Kramer
Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer is a character on the American Television program Situation comedy Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David's former neighbor....
 (Michael Richards
Michael Richards

Michael Anthony Richards is an Emmy Award-winning United States actor and comedian, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld....
's character on Seinfeld
Seinfeld

Seinfeld is an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning Television in the United States Situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in Broadcast syndication....
), Chris Farley
Chris Farley

Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an United Statesn comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's The Second City and later went on to the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live....
, Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson

'Rowan Sebastian Atkinson' is an England comedian, actor and writer, famous for his work on the classic sitcoms Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line and Mr....
's "Mr. Bean
Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean was a British comedy television series of 14 half-hour episodes starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were written by Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis and one by Ben Elton....
", Johnny Lever
Johnny Lever

Janardhana Rao famously known as Johnny Lever ...... Muthuswamy*Teri Payal Meree Geet *Yugandhar *Aansoo Bane Angaarey ...
 and Benny Hill
Benny Hill

Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill , was an England comedian, actor and singer, best known for his television programme The Benny Hill Show....
 are all examples of physical comedy characters. Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. Order of the British Empire , better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an Academy Award-winning England comedy film actor and filmmaker....
 started his film career as a physical comedian; although he developed additional means of comic expression, Chaplin's mature works continued to contain elements of slapstick.

See also

  • Slapstick
    Slapstick

    Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated extreme physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense, such as a character being hit in the face with a heavy frying pan or running into a brick wall....
  • Comedy
    Comedy

    Comedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western culture origins are found in Ancient Greece....
  • Physical theatre
    Physical theatre

    Physical theatre is a general term used to describe any mode of performance that pursues storytelling through primarily physical means. There are several quite distinct traditions of performance which all describe themselves using the term "physical theatre", which has led to a lot of confusion as to what the definition of physical theatre ac...