Joseph Frank Keaton was born on October 4th, 1895, straight into stardom. His family was close to Harry Houdini's, and he received the name of Buster at 6 months old. He fell down a long set of stairs, after which Harry Houdini exclaimed "That sure was a Buster!" and so, the name stuck. Soon, his family took him to the stage, beginning vaudeville acts that were quickly dubbed the roughest act in the history of the stage. There, he was flung around the stage by a seemingly-enraged father, being literally thrown across the stage by the back of his neck or punted into the audience. After each act, he showed that he was unharmed, all the while holding a deadpan expression that would, later in his long life, become his trademark and the basis for his nickname, "The Great Stoneface". His father was frequently scrutinized and arrested for mistreatment of his child, though Keaton consistently showed that there were no bruises or broken bones at any point throughout his early career. This dangerous act caught national attention, and was abruptly canceled in January of 1917, for his father's growing alcoholism and violence was proving to be too risky for the young performer to partake in. From there, his stardom began.