Bernard "Ben" Turpin (September 19, 1869[2] – July 1, 1940) was an American comedian and actor, best remembered for his work in silent films.

Turpin went on to work with notable performers such as Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, and was a part of the Mack Sennett studio team.

When sound came to films, Turpin chose to retire, having invested profitably in real estate, although he did do occasional cameos.

He was convinced that the crossed eyes were essential to his comic career; his co-workers recalled that after he received any blow to the head he made a point of looking himself in the mirror to assure himself that they had not become uncrossed.

He was a devout Catholic,[9][10] and his workmates occasionally goaded him by threatening to pray that his eyes would uncross, thus depriving him of his livelihood.

It was basically an interrupted forward somersault initiated by kicking one leg up, turning over 180 degrees to land flat on the back or in a seated position.

Through the 1920s his roles often spoofed serious actors and celebrities of the time – e.g., "The Shriek" for "The Sheik" – and Turpin became one of film's most popular comics.

The year 1929 saw many silent-film stars uncertain about their future employment, with the new talking pictures requiring new skills and techniques.

Turpin starred in only one more film, the short subject Keystone Hotel (Warner Bros., 1935), a reunion of silent-era comedians.

His last feature film was Laurel and Hardy's Saps at Sea in 1940, in which his cross-eyed face served as a joke punchline.

[18] Ben Turpin died July 1, 1940, of a heart attack[19] and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, following a Requiem Mass at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills.

His pallbearers included Andy Clyde, Billy Bevan, James Finlayson, Heinie Conklin, and Charlie Murray.

In the dressing room he picks up a hand mirror and checks his reflection as he deliberately crosses his eyes as extremely as possible.