Background
He was born as Joseph Hallie Keaton a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana. Keaton was born to Libbie Jane and Joseph Francis Keaton IV.
He was born as Joseph Hallie Keaton a few miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana. Keaton was born to Libbie Jane and Joseph Francis Keaton IV.
He was the father of actor Buster Keaton. Keaton - leaving home in 1889, the year of the Land Rushfor a time homesteaded in the Oklahoma territory, securing a claim three and a half miles northwest of Edmond. A few months into Keaton"s residency, the neighboring homesteadera Canadian whom Keaton had befriended on their shared journey westwas murdered and partially buried by a claim jumper.
The body was subsequently discoveredand "justice was meted out" to the murdererby Keaton and a group of three or four men that included Robert Galbreath, Junior.
On May 31, 1894, Joe Keaton eloped with Myra Edith Cutler, who became known as Myra Keaton.
Myra, who had English and German ancestry, performed with Joe in a vaudeville acting Joe and Myra"s first child was Joseph Frank Keaton, who became known as the silent film actor Buster Keaton.
Their other children were Harry Keaton and Louise Keaton. Buster joined the act when he was only a few years old.
The act was a rough-and-tumble one, with Buster being thrown around on stage most of the time.
As the years went by, Joe Keaton became an alcoholic, which forced Buster to quit the act by the time he was a teenager. However, after he hit it big in silent film, Buster provided Joe with small parts in several movies. Myra and Joe split up long after Buster had become an adult.
He lived alone in a Hollywood hotel for many years and was said to have stopped drinking after becoming a Christian Scientist.
Joe Keaton died on January 13, 1946, at his home in Hollywood, California, after a long illness.