Larry Semon, Daredevil Comedian of the Silent Screen

Prior to his tragic death in 1928, Larry Semon was one of the best-loved and most popular comics on the Silent Screen. Claudia Sassen has spent 30 years researching and has written and illustrated this long-overdue biography of one of Hollywood's most overlooked giants in movie history.

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Prior to his premature death from tuberculosis in 1928, Larry Semon was one of the most popular comics on the silent screen. For a time he rivaled comedy legends Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton for fame and fortune. The son of magician Professor Zera the Great, Semon participated in many of his father's early performances. A talented youth, he worked as an illustrator and cartoonist before going into motion pictures with the Vitagraph Company. He soon became a Hollywood legend, responsible for his own stories, gags, acting and direction. The result of 30 years of research, this long overdue biography recognizes one of Hollywood's most overlooked auteurs. The author draws on numerous articles and contacts with Semon's family and friends, and screens many films previously believed to be lost.