Bill Irwin: This century's Charlie Chaplin

Today I learned about an artist named Bill Irwin

Bill Irwin is a physical comedian, who mostly preforms in a theatre stage setting. He has been in multiple Tony Award winning plays, but that isn't his greatest achievement.

What makes Bill Irwin so interesting, and why I am writing about him now, is because he has resurrected the same physical comedy style that was so popular in the late 20's and early 30's through the stage. Watching Irwin is shockingly similar to watching a Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin film. He was able to use their style as a stepping stone to create completely new and original content that doesn't feel any different than the physical comedians in the movies.

He is highly regarded among the acting community, especially amongst more physical comedic actors, like Robin Williams. Many claim that he may have been up there with Chaplin and Keaton as one of the best silent comedy stars had he only been around 70 years earlier.

His ability to make a career out of something that hasn't been popular for over 7 decades is amazing. He was able to create art by simply being, well, a clown. That, to me, is truly inspiring.


Here is a link to a documentary on him, very very cool:

https://vimeo.com/41843938