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Ben Turpin (1869–1940)

First of all, the cross-eyed comedian of silent days was not born that way. Supposedly his right eye slipped out of alignment while playing the role of the similarly afflicted Happy Hooligan in vaudeville and it never adjusted. Ironically, it was this disability that would enhance his comic value and make him a top name. Ben Turpin was born in New ... See full bio »

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Known For

Yankee Doodle in Berlin
Yankee Doodle in Berlin A Prussian Guardsman
(1919)
Mr. Inquisitive
Mr. Inquisitive Mr. Inquisitive
(1907)
Snakeville's Champion
Snakeville's Champion Bloggie
(1915)
Tag Day
Tag Day The Tramp
(1909)
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Filmography

Hide Hide Show Show Actor (239 credits)
 1940 Saps at Sea
Cross-Eyed Plumber
 1939 Hollywood Cavalcade
Bartender
 1935 Keystone Hotel (Short)
Count Drewa Blanc
 1935 Bring 'Em Back a Lie (Short)
 1935 The Little Big Top (Short)
William Tell
 1934 Law of the Wild
Henry
 1934 Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 (Short)
Bartender
 1932 Million Dollar Legs
Mysterious Man
 1932 Make Me a Star
Ben Turpin
 1932 Lighthouse Love (Short)
The Russian Prince
 1932 Running Hollywood (Short)
Traffic Cop
 1931 Ambassador Bill
The Butcher
 1931 Movie-Town (Short)
Ben Turpin - at Night Club (uncredited)
 1931 Our Wife (Short)
William Gladding - Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
 1931 Cracked Nuts
Cross-Eyed Ben (uncredited)
 1930 A Hollywood Theme Song (Short)
Minor Role (scenes deleted)
 1930 Swing High
Bartender
 1930 A Royal Romance
Cossack Guard (uncredited)
 1929 Show of Shows
Waiter in 'What Became of the Floradora Boys' Number
 1929 The Love Parade
Cross-Eyed Lackey (uncredited)
 1929 The Hollywood Dressmaker (Short)
Ben
 1929 Taking the Count (Short)
 1928 Why Babies Leave Home (Short)
Ronald - the Wandering Boy / The Old Man
 1928 Holding His Own (Short)
Ben Muggs
 1928 The Cockeyed Family (Short)
Amos Gillig
 1928 She Said No (Short)
 1928 Seein' Things (Short)
 1928 Idle Eyes (Short)
Benjamin Turps
 1928 The Eyes Have It (Short)
 1928 A Woman's Way
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
 1928 The Wife's Relations
Rodney St. Clair
 1927 Daddy Boy (Short)
Daddyboy Montague
 1927 The College Hero
The Janitor
 1927 Love's Languid Lure (Short)
Gerald Botts
 1927 The Pride of Pikeville (Short)
Baron Bonamo
 1927 Broke in China (Short)
Donald Drake
 1927 The Jolly Jilter (Short)
Virgil Vancourt
 1927 A Hollywood Hero (Short)
Gerald Montague
 1926 A Blonde's Revenge (Short)
Gerald Montague
 1926 A Harem Knight (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1926 A Prodigal Bridegroom (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1926 When a Man's a Prince (Short)
Prince Nikolo
 1925 Steel Preferred
Bartender
 1925 Hogan's Alley
The Stranger
 1925 The Marriage Circus (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1925 The Raspberry Romance (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1925 The Wild Goose Chaser (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1924 The Reel Virginian (Short)
The Virginian
 1924 Three Foolish Weeks (Short)
Baron Sergius Rodney St. Clair
 1924 Romeo and Juliet (Short)
Rodney St. Clair / Romeo
 1924 Yukon Jake (Short)
Sheriff Cyclone Bill
 1924 The Hollywood Kid (Short)
Ben Turpin
 1924 Ten Dollars or Ten Days (Short)
The Soda Clerk
 1923 The Dare-Devil (Short)
Joe Magee - the Dare-Devil
 1923 Asleep at the Switch (Short)
The Station Agent
 1923 Pitfalls of a Big City (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1923 Hollywood
Ben Turpin
 1923 Where's My Wandering Boy This Evening? (Short)
Rodney St. Clair
 1923 The Shriek of Araby
Bill Poster - The Sheik
 1922 Home Made Movies (Short)
The 1st Theatre Operator's Son
 1922 Step Forward (Short)
Rodney Robbin
 1921 Bright Eyes (Short)
Luke Larson - Oil Magnate
 1921 Molly O'
Minor Role (uncredited)
 1921 Love and Doughnuts (Short)
The Baker
 1921 Love's Outcast (Short)
Franklyn Fairchild
 1921 Home Talent
Stranded Actor
 1921 She Sighed by the Seaside (Short)
The Lifeguard
 1921 A Small Town Idol
Sam Smith
 1920 Bloggie's Vacation (Short)
 1920 Countess Bloggie (Short)
 1920 The Quack Doctor (Short)
The Justice of the Peace
 1920 You Wouldn't Believe It (Short)
The Justice of the Peace (unconfirmed, uncredited)
 1920 Married Life
Rodney St. Clair - a Man's Man
 1920/I Down on the Farm
The Faithful Wife's Husband
 1920 The Close Shave (Short)
 1920 The Star Boarder (Short)
The Cigar Salesman
 1920 The Nutcrackers (Short)
 1920 Charlie Butts In (Short)
 1919 A Lady's Tailor (Short)
Audience Spectator (uncredited)
 1919 Salome vs. Shenandoah (Short)
Actor Playing New General
 1919 Up in Alf's Place (Short)
Oswald Planter - Mortician
 1919 Uncle Tom Without a Cabin (Short)
Uncle Tom / Man of Many Parts
 1919 The Dentist (Short)
Minor Role (unconfirmed, uncredited)
 1919 Treating 'Em Rough (Short)
Undetermined Secondary Role (unconfirmed, uncredited)
 1919 Trying to Get Along (Short)
2nd Freeloading Customer
 1919 No Mother to Guide Him (Short)
Ben - a Happy Married Man
 1919 Love's False Faces (Short)
2nd Barfly
 1919 When Love Is Blind (Short)
First Pal
 1919 The Foolish Age (Short)
Choir Member
 1919 The Village Smithy (Short)
Minor Role (unconfirmed, uncredited)
 1919 Yankee Doodle in Berlin
A Prussian Guardsman
 1919 East Lynne with Variations (Short)
The Hero
 1919 Cupid's Day Off (Short)
1st Shoe Salesman
 1918 Hide and Seek, Detectives (Short)
Hide
 1918 Whose Little Wife Are You? (Short)
1st Nut on Raft
 1918 Sleuths (Short)
Eagle Eye Jack - Detective
 1918 She Loved Him Plenty (Short)
1st Pawnshop Clerk
 1918 Her Screen Idol (Short)
 1918 Two Tough Tenderfeet (Short)
Pussyfoot Joe
 1918 Love Loops the Loop (Short)
The Band Leader
 1918 The Battle Royal (Short)
The Interloper
 1918 His Smothered Love (Short)
Wine Messenger
 1918 Saucy Madeline (Short)
A Rolling Stone Out of Work
 1918 Sheriff Nell's Tussle (Short)
Honest Eyed Jack - Still After Her
 1918 Watch Your Neighbor (Short)
Banana Peel Victim
 1917 Taming Target Center (Short)
Yellow Jack - the Old Sheriff
 1917 That Night (Short)
 1917 Are Waitresses Safe? (Short)
Ralph - Who Loved Her So
 1917 Roping Her Romeo (Short)
Honest Eyed Jack - a Poor Butterfly
 1917 A Bedroom Blunder (Short)
Hotel Desk Clerk
 1917/I Caught in the End (Short)
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
 1917 The Pawnbroker's Heart (Short)
The Pawnshop Janitor
 1917 Lost: A Cook (Short)
Pest Guest
 1917 Sole Mates (Short)
 1917 Pete's Pants (Short)
Ben Turpin
 1917 Two Laughs (Short)
Special Delivery Boy
 1917 A Clever Dummy (Short)
A Romantic Janitor
 1917/II Caught in the End (Short)
 1917 Bucking the Tiger (Short)
 1917 Masked Mirth (Short)
 1917 When Ben Bolted (Short)
Ben
 1917 Frightened Flirts (Short)
 1917 His Bogus Boast (Short)
 1917 A Studio Stampede (Short)
The Boob
 1917 The Butcher's Nightmare (Short)
The Butcher
 1917 The Musical Marvel (Short)
The Piano Player
 1917 A Circus Cyclone (Short)
The Artist
 1916 Jealous Jolts (Short)
 1916 Taking the Count (Short)
A Cabin Steward
 1916 Shot in the Fracas (Short)
The Janitor
 1916 A Waiting Game (Short)
A Tramp
 1916 The Wicked City (Short)
The Restaurant Proprietor
 1916 Some Bravery (Short)
A Bellhop
 1916 Picture Pirates (Short)
2nd Ne'er-Do-Well
 1916 A Safe Proposition (Short)
1st Burglar
 1916/II He Did and He Didn't (Short)
The Gambler
 1916 Ducking a Discord (Short)
Ben
 1916 Poultry à la Mode (Short)
Ben
 1916 Doctoring a Leak (Short)
1st Plumber
 1916 The Stolen Booking (Short)
Ben
 1916 Some Liars (Short)
The Boss's Husband
 1916 Lost and Found (Short)
The Man from the Same Place
 1916 For Ten Thousand Bucks (Short)
Bloggie
 1916 A Deep Sea Liar (Short)
Bloggie
 1916/I Hired and Fired (Short)
Bloggie
 1916 Just for a Kid (Short)
Bloggie
 1916 When Papa Died (Short)
 1916 The Iron Mitt (Short)
Bloggie
 1916 Delinquent Bridegrooms (Short)
Bloggie aka Orlando
 1916 His Blowout (Short)
Bloggie
 1916 Nailing on the Lid (Short)
Orlando - the Sociologist
 1916 National Nuts (Short)
The Substitute Pitcher
 1915 Snakeville's Debutantes (Short)
Bloggie
 1915 A Christmas Revenge (Short)
Loafer
 1915 Snakeville's Champion (Short)
Bloggie
 1915 A Burlesque on Carmen (Short)
Remendados - The Smuggler
 1915 The Merry Models (Short)
Bloggie
 1915 It Happened in Snakeville (Short)
Bloggie
 1915 Too Much Turkey (Short)
The Neighbor
 1915 The Convict's Threat (Short)
Prisoner
 1915 Snakeville's Hen Medic (Short)
Bloggie
 1915 A Quiet Little Game (Short)
The Undertaker
 1915 Versus Sledge Hammers (Short)
The Count's Valet
 1915 Broncho Billy Steps In (Short)
 1915 The Bell-Hop (Short)
The Bell-Hop
 1915 Snakeville's Twins (Short)
The Henpecked Husband
 1915 Others Started It, But Sophie Finished (Short)
The Husband
 1915 Sweedie's Finish (Short)
 1915 Sophie and the Fakir (Short)
Sophie's Husband
 1915 A Bunch of Matches (Short)
Justice of the Piece
 1915 Sweedie's Hero (Short)
The Bellboy
 1915 Sweedie in Vaudeville (Short)
 1915 The Undertaker's Uncle (Short)
The Uncle
 1915 A Coat Tale (Short)
Husband
 1915 Curiosity (Short)
The Lunatic
 1915 Two Bold, Bad Men (Short)
First Bad Man
 1915 Sweedie Learns to Ride (Short)
Sweedie's Romeo
 1915 Love and Trouble (Short)
Sweedie's Beau
 1915 The Champion (Short)
Ringside Vendor (uncredited)
 1915 Sweedie's Hopeless Love (Short)
The Grocery Boy
 1915/I A Night Out (Short)
Fellow Reveller (uncredited)
 1915 Sweedie Goes to College (Short)
Sweedie's Romeo
 1915 His New Job (Short)
Film Extra in Anteroom (uncredited)
 1915 Sweedie and Her Dog (Short)
Captain of the Dog Catchers
 1915 The Clubman's Wager (Short)
Tramp
 1915 Sweedie's Suicide (Short)
Police Captain
 1915 Sweedie and the Sultan's Present (Short)
Kao Yama, the Sultan of Puff Puff
 1914 Their Cheap Vacation (Short)
 1914 Madame Double X (Short)
Mr. Von Crooks Jr.
 1914 Sweedie and the Hypnotist (Short)
 1914 Sweedie at the Fair (Short)
The Chief of Police
 1914 Countess Sweedie (Short)
The Waiter
 1914 Sweedie the Trouble Maker (Short)
Justice of the Peace
 1914 The Laundress (Short)
 1914 She Landed a Big One (Short)
The Chief of Police
 1914 Sweedie Learns to Swim (Short)
Captain of Life Savers
 1914 The Fickleness of Sweedie (Short)
 1914 Sweedie's Clean-Up (Short)
The Chief of Police
 1914 Sweedie's Skate (Short)
 1914 The Joblot Recruits (Short)
Chief of Police
 1914 Sweedie Springs a Surprise (Short)
Mr. Prim
 1914 Sweedie and the Lord (Short)
 1914 Sweedie the Swatter (Short)
 1913 The Usual Way (Short)
Secondary Role
 1911 Their First Misunderstanding (Short)
In crowd at train station
 1910 The Hobble Skirt (Short)
Happy Mike
 1910 You Saved My Life (Short)
 1909 A Case of Seltzer (Short)
The brother in drag
 1909 The New Cop (Short)
 1909 A Hustling Advertiser (Short)
The Young Man
 1909 The Sleeping Tonic (Short)
 1909 Mr. Flip (Short)
Mr. Flip
 1909 A Mexican's Gratitude (Short)
 1909 Midnight Disturbance (Short)
The Burglar
 1909 Tag Day (Short)
The Tramp
 1909 The Haunted Lounge (Short)
A Tramp
 1909 The Neighbors' Kids (Short)
Servant
 1908 Breaking Into Society (Short)
 1908 Soul Kiss (Short)
 1908 Oh, What Lungs! (Short)
 1908 The Younger Brothers (Short)
 1907 A Free Lunch (Short)
 1907 Mr. Inquisitive (Short)
Mr. Inquisitive
 1907 An Awful Skate; or, The Hobo on Rollers (Short)
The Hobo
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Personal Details

Other Works:

Stage, burlesque, and vaudeville actor.

Publicity Listings:

1 Print Biography | 25 Articles | 1 Pictorial | See more »

Height:

5' 4" (1.63 m)
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Did You Know?

Trivia:

Turpin had a reputation as being somewhat argumentative with directors. One day while he was making a film at Sennett Studios, he was giving one director quite a bit of trouble. Exasperated, the director said, "One more word from you, Ben, and I'll uncross your eyes!" (it was commonly believed at the time that a sharp blow to the head could cause crossed eyes to uncross). Terrified of losing his ... See more »

Trademark:

Crossed eyes

Star Sign:

Virgo
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