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.
Frank Shannon Frank Shannon Francis Connolly Shannon (July 27, 1874 – February 1, 1959), better known as Frank Shannon, was an Irish actor and writer. A stage actor and silent film pioneer, Shannon made his screen debut in 1913's "The Artist's Joke". He later appeared in dozens of films through the mid-1920s, including "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1913) and "Monsieur Beaucaire" (1924). Shannon then returned to the stage until beckoned back to Hollywood in 1931 and played a few substantial supporting parts, including Captain McTavish in Warner Bros.' "Torchy Blaine" series from 1937 to 1939, but he is most fondly remembered as