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Initially, the cross-eyed comedian of the silent era was not born with that condition. Allegedly, his right eye went out of alignment while portraying the similarly afflicted Happy Hooligan in vaudeville, and it never corrected itself. Ironically, this impairment enhanced his comedic appeal and propelled him to stardom.
Ben Turpin was born in New Orleans in 1869, the son of a French-born confectionery store owner. At age seven, his family relocated to New York's Lower East Side. Naturally adventurous, Turpin led a hobo-like existence in his early adulthood. His career began by chance while drifting through Chicago, where he amused people at parties. After seeing a newspaper ad seeking comedy acts, he successfully booked shows with a partner. Going solo, he performed on the burlesque circuit and under circus tents, consistently entertaining audiences with tricks, energetic pratfalls, and, notably, his crossed eyes. One of his signature visual gags was a backward tumble he called the "108." He adopted the Happy Hooligan character while touring and retained the hapless persona in his act for 17 years.
Turpin entered films at age 38 in 1907, joining Essanay Studios shortly after it started operations in Chicago. He also worked as their janitor for a time. He remained with the company for two years but stayed relatively unknown. Occasionally appearing in silent comedy shorts, he typically portrayed bumbling characters prone to mistakes. His breakthrough came upon his return to Essanay, where he met Charles Chaplin. Chaplin took a liking to him and introduced him to Mack Sennett. By 1917, Sennett had made Turpin a major comedy star. With his trademark crossed eyes and thick mustache, Turpin starred in numerous slapstick films alongside Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and others. Notably, he parodied popular films of the era, such as The Shriek of Araby (1923), where he lampooned Rudolph Valentino. Turpin excelled at impersonating the most charming and sophisticated stars, transforming them into clumsy buffoons.
Turpin retired from full-time acting in 1924 to care for his ailing wife, Canadian comedy actress Carrie Turpin (née LeMieux). After her death the following year, he returned to acting, but his popularity had waned significantly. The arrival of sound films largely marked the end of his style of physical comedy. He appeared only occasionally afterward, mostly in brief comic roles alongside top stars, such as a plumber cameo with Laurel & Hardy in Saps at Sea (1940), his final film. He died of heart disease that same year.
