Silent movie comedian, often cited as "The Third Genius" behind Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. He wore horn rimmed glasses and specialized in performing his own stunts some of which were truly innovative, such as hanging off the ledge of a skyscraper. His most famous film Safety Last features many of these stunts. Unlike Chaplin's tramp character, he usually played the enthusiastic young man, willing to do anything to get ahead or win the girl of his dreams. His popularity dimmed somewhat after the advent of talkies but he remained a very influential performer, even after his death in 1971.