Historians of such things write of the four great silent comedians: Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Harry Langdon. Of these, my favorite is Keaton but the most interesting one may be Langdon, whose stardom was brief and whose best work was confined to a handful of memorable films. He started out making shorts for Mack Sennett in 1924 and soon broke out of that studio's brand of fast-paced, faceless slapstick. Langdon, more so than any other silent comic, took his time on the screen. His expressive, cherubic face enabled him to connect with audiences. Back then, most of the other comedians were either expressionless like Keaton or wearing the human equivalent of clown masks. Langdon was unique and when he was good, he was very, very good.
A star by 1925 and a has-been by 1928, he bounced around the film business as a performer and sometimes a writer (for Laurel and Hardy) until his death in 1944. His story, on-screen and off, is told and told well in a book by my buddy Bill Schelly and I'm here to recommend the new, improved edition. Bill's done a tremendous job of digging up information about a great comic whose life has been sadly under-reported. I've read darn near everything ever published about silent comedians and this book told me plenty I didn't know. Order a copy here.