Ben Turpin
Silent comedy's cross-eyed king, who turned a janitor's job into a slapstick empire and took the first filmed pie to the face.
1869–1940 (age 71)·American actor·Birthday: September 19·The Gilded Age
Biography
Ben Turpin's crossed eyes were no gag—they were a genetic quirk that became his ticket to fame. Working as a janitor at Essanay Studios in Chicago, he was spotted and thrust in front of a camera, where his unique look and fearless physicality made him a natural. He became a cornerstone of Mack Sennett's anarchic Keystone comedies, a master of chaotic chases and spectacular pratfalls. Turpin famously insured his crossed eyes for a small fortune, protecting his most valuable asset. He held his own alongside giants like Charlie Chaplin and later starred in two-reelers with Laurel and Hardy. With the arrival of sound, the pure visual language of his comedy felt obsolete, and he retired comfortably, a wealthy icon of cinema's wild, silent beginnings.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Ben was born in 1869, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1869
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1869Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1874Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1882Became a teenager
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1885Could drive
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1887Could vote
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Turned 21
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1899Turned 30
President: William McKinley
1909Turned 40
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 50
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 60
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 70
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1940Died at 71
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
Key Achievements
- Credited as the first filmed recipient of a pie in the face in the 1913 silent film 'A Noise from the Deep.'
- Starred in numerous successful two-reel comedy shorts for Mack Sennett's studio throughout the 1910s and 1920s.
- Appeared in feature-length films with comedy legends like Charlie Chaplin in 'His Prehistoric Past' and with Laurel and Hardy in 'Slipping Wives.'
- Successfully transitioned from a studio janitor to one of the most recognizable comic actors of the silent era.
Did You Know?
He famously had his crossed eyes insured with Lloyd's of London for $25,000.
Turpin was a devout Catholic who attended Mass daily, even during filming.
He made a brief comeback in the early 1930s for a few sound comedy shorts before retiring for good.
His distinctive look was the result of strabismus, a condition he had from birth.
“My eyes are my fortune, and I never had to cross them for a nickel.”
