Deadpan vaudeville days, Buster Keaton developed his deadpan expression. Keaton realized that audiences responded better to his stony expression than when he smiled, and he carried this style into his silent film career. The 1980 film "Airplane!" was performed almost entirely in deadpan. Many popular American sitcoms use deadpan expressions to deliver dry humor, including "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "Arrested Development", and "My Name Is Earl". More recent examples are Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt from the TV show "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett in "iCarly", and Louis C.K. in "Louie". Another example is the comedy of Steven Wright.
Harrison Ford (silent film actor) Harrison Ford (silent film actor) Harrison Edward Ford (March 16, 1884 – December 2, 1957) was an American stage and film actor. He was a leading Broadway theatre performer and a star of the silent film era. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Ford began his acting career on the stage. He made his Broadway debut in 1904 in Richard Harding Davis's "Ranson's Folly". He went on to appear in productions of William C. deMille's "Strongheart"; "Glorious Betsy" by Rida Johnson Young (the production lasted only 24 performances but the play was later adapted for an Oscar-nominated film of the same