Buster Keaton ever made. Keaton was recognized as the seventh-greatest film director by "Entertainment Weekly", and the American Film Institute ranked him in 1999 as the 21st greatest male star of classic Hollywood cinema. Keaton was born into a vaudeville family in Piqua, Kansas, the small town where his mother, Myra Keaton ("née" Cutler), was when she went into labor. He was named "Joseph" to continue a tradition on his father's side (he was sixth in a line bearing the name Joseph Keaton) and "Frank" for his maternal grandfather, who disapproved of his parents' union. Later, Keaton changed his middle name to
International Buster Keaton Society Eryn Leedale Merwart. Past presidents include Patricia Eliot Tobias (twice), Susan Buhrman, and Bob Borgen. Buster's Keaton's granddaughter, Melissa Talmadge-Cox, is a member of the group's board of directors. The Damfinos' convention is held annually in Muskegon, Michigan. The group has also led a campaign to save Buster's childhood baseball field in Muskegon, Michigan. International Buster Keaton Society The International Buster Keaton Society Inc.— a.k.a. "The Damfinos"—is the official educational organization dedicated to comedy film producer-director-writer-actor-stuntman Buster Keaton. According to the Damfinos, their mission is "to foster and perpetuate appreciation and understanding of the life, career and films of comedian/filmmaker